Power Rangers: Guardians of the Galaxy
by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley
Summary: When the Roman God, Saturn, breaks free of his bonds in Tartarus, a group of teens has to fight back, true to their destinies as demigods, and save the world!
1. Ep 1: A Galaxy In Peril

**Hey guys! I'm back with another original Power Rangers story! If you're new to my works, you do not have to read my other stories to understand this one, though there will be past characters coming back so if you would like to learn about them and their history, feel free to do so! If not, I'm excited to have you guys back as viewers! This story takes place in the fall of 2023, which would be the summer after Power Rangers: Data Surge, for those of you who have read that.**

 **I am so, so happy to be writing this, considering that I've been planning it for a long time, and it's gone through a lot of changes that I really like so I hope you guys like it as much as I do!**

 **This is story will contain more mature content, given that most of my readers are at least teenagers, or older, and I would like to make it more or less relatable.**

 **Aiden is portrayed by Chace Crawford**

 **October is portrayed by Alexandra Daddario**

 **Ryder is portrayed by Tyler Posey**

 **Luca is portrayed by Austin Butler**

 **Mari is portrayed by Kat Graham**

 **Liela is portrayed by Jennifer Lawrence**

 **Mason is portrayed by Leo Howard**

 **Alice is portrayed by Lindsey Lohan (younger - imagine Freaky Friday)**

 **Mel is portrayed by Troian Bellisario**

 **Saturn is portrayed by Mark Pellegrino**

 **Also, check out the opening video for the story, the link is in my bio!**

* * *

It was late August in Sol Valley, and the start of the new school year for those at Sol Valley High School. The world had been at peace from monster attacks since January of 2023, and the town was finally getting back to normal after repairing most of the damage done to the town in the final battle between the Data Surge rangers and Vance Taylor, who had taken over after the defeat of their previous enemy, Red Code.

The school was one of the places damaged in the attack, but with some remodeling and new teachers hired, the school looked better than ever, and different. The school used to be more of an outdoor campus, but with the amount of destruction, and the little time they had to repair it, they construction crew decided it would be better to make it an indoor campus with hallways and lockers for all of the students.

It was a bit confusing for returning students, especially juniors and seniors, who had grown very used to the school setting.

One student, Aiden Miller, drove up into his reserved parking spot in the student lot early, looked at the school in shock. The second semester of his junior year, half of the students were moved to nearby high schools that could fit them, and the others went on independent studies. Aiden, being one of those students, hadn't been around the school until now, and was shocked at the changes.

He grabbed his backpack and got out of his truck, looking up at the building that seemed to loop around the campus. He looked over to where the football field was, and was pleased to see it still in tact, as he was playing for the team in his last year in high school.

He also saw his fellow football players on the field, as well as some cheerleaders, practicing for the upcoming season, considering they couldn't practice over the summer.

He walked over, fixing his shirt to look nice. Aiden had pale skin, dirty blond hair, blue eyes, and was about 6'0. He wore a red t-shirt over blue jeans and black vans.

As Aiden walked down the bleachers to get to the field, he passed Luca Johnson who was sitting on the bleachers with his girlfriend, Alice Dog.

"The school looks so different," Alice commented. She had shoulder-length auburn hair, blue eyes, pale skin, and was about 5'5. She had freckles covering her face and arms as well. She wore a plain brown shirt over black jeans and black slip-on vans. "I don't really like it too much. Seems like too many people crammed into a small space.

Luca nodded in agreement. "Exactly. With as many students as there are at this school, you'd think they would want as much space as possible." Luca had blonde hair, blue eyes, and was about 6'0. He wore a short-sleeved blue button up, gray jeans, and black sneakers. "Hopefully it'll be better than it looks." He commented, his voice accented from his New Zealand heritage.

"Probably not," Alice muttered.

Luca wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close, making her smile. "At least we can get through it together. It'll only be two more years, and then we're gone."

Alice nodded. "Yeah. The only problem is that, next year, you'll be the only one left to hang out with. I really only hang out with you and October,"

Meanwhile, standing on the track, which lapped around the edge of the football field, stood October Adams, stretching out to practice some cheers with the rest of the team. October was very beautiful, standing at about 5'8 with long black hair, big blue eyes, and pale skin. She wore a black camisole tucked into black and maroon track pants and white cheer shoes she only wore for cheer practice.

"Wow, I'm surprised you're here earlier than me," A voice said from beside her.

October turned to see Marissa Williams, better known as Mari, standing next to her, smirking. Mari was about 5'2 with short dark brown hair, brown eyes, and dark skin.

"Me too," October chuckled. "Ryder actually decided to get up early this morning, so we got here on time for once."

On the football field, Rhydian Adams, usually referred to as Ryder, was also stretching, waiting for the coach to come out of his office. Ryder was about 5'10 with tan skin, brown hair, and brown eyes. He wore exercise clothes under football pads.

He spotted Aiden walking over and saw him sit down next to him. "You know, just because you like my sister, doesn't mean you should sit with me," He commented, leaning back on his arms and giving Aiden a look.

Aiden was now wearing a similar ensemble as Ryder, and rolled his eyes. "There's no one else better, if you haven't noticed."

"You could go sit with your soccer friends," Ryder muttered. "I'm sure they'd enjoy it, cause I don't."

"They're not here, and it's not soccer season," Aiden responded, beginning to stretch. "Besides, why do you care if I sit here? Your sister has to sit next to your girlfriend, who she doesn't like I might add, so why does it matter to you if I'm doing the same?"

Ryder glared at him. "You're _not_ dating my sister," He scoffed. "She doesn't date douche-bags like you,"

"We'll see about that," Aiden said as he stood up.

Ryder quickly stood up as well. "No, we won't. Leave her alone. She doesn't like you, get over it."

Aiden put his hands up in surrender. "Calm down." He rolled his eyes. "Either way, it's not your decision if she likes me or not. She _is_ older than you," Aiden pointed out.

"That doesn't..."

He was cut off when the coach came onto the field and clapped his hands together to get the team's attention. "You guys ready to get started?"

 **\- Cue Opening (link in bio) -**

On a hill near the beach in Sol Valley stood a large building, looking to be made of glass. It was very beautiful, and was called the command center by those who knew of what went on inside of this building.

Inside, Liela, a mentor for power rangers, past and present, stood, looking out at a barren looking field, quite far from the command center, but still within the city. This field, however, was a dangerous place, and Liela knew this.

Saturn, the Roman god of time and the father of some of the most famous gods, had broken free of his prison in Tartarus, where he was locked away previously by demigods trying to stop him from destroying the Earth and the life on it.

His servants, Polus and Iapetus, along with his footsoliders, the Titans, helped him escape to overtake Tartarus and use it and it's prisoners for his own use.

The gods, meanwhile, had asked Liela to find the demigods to take him on, and hopefully lock him away for good.

Back in February, Liela had been visited by Mercury, the messenger god, who came to tell him that Saturn was working on getting free, and she needed to locate the demigods.

She did as she was asked, and located five demigods to take on the powers to defeat Saturn. Fortunately, she hasn't had to call on them yet.

Unfortunately, she did now. She could tell the activity from the underground prison of Tartarus was getting intense, and she needed the demigods soon. The only problem was that they had no idea that they were demigods.

"Liela," Liela's younger half-brother, Mason Finely, called to her. Mason was about 5'9 with long brown hair pulled back into a ponytail, brown eyes, and lightly tanned skin. He wore a light blue shirt over black pants and black shoes. "We're gonna have to call on them, like, today. I was just on a run down the beach and I got attacked by a Titan."

"Are you alright?" Liela asked, looking him over. Liela was about 5'10 with long dirty blonde hair, blue eyes, and lightly tanned skin. She wore a black vest over a white shirt, black pants, and black shoes.

Mason nodded. "I'm fine, but this town won't be if we don't call on the new rangers," He commented.

Liela sighed. "I know. I'll arrange to meet with them."

"Good," Mason sat down on the couch. "Cause we might not have much time left before the next attack."

\- PRGG -

At lunch, October sat with Alice and Luca, looking back over her shoulder at her brother walking through the lunch lines with his girlfriend, Melissa Clare, better known as Mel. Mel was about 5'7 with brown hair, brown eyes, and lightly tanned skin. She wore a white tank top tucked into shorts and white converse. Ryder, out of football practice, wore a green shirt under a black leather jacket, blue jeans, and black hiking boots.

October rolled her eyes and turned back to her best friend and her boyfriend. "I hate her so much," October muttered. Now out of practice, October wore an oversized white and pink flannel that was tied up just above her bellybutton, black leggings, and black and white converse.

"I know, she's a bitch," Alice agreed, taking a bite of her fruit bowl she had bought from the cafeteria.

"I totally agree," Mari said as she sat down beside Luca, setting her purse down on the table. The three looked at her strangely. "What are you doing here?" October asked. "Where are your friends?"

Mari shrugged. "I don't know. I can't find anything around here." Mari was also dressed back in normal clothes, which included a yellow tank dress that went to her mid-thigh, white heels, and a white clutch purse with a shoulder strap.

"Exactly," Aiden said as he sat down next to October.

October looked over at him with a smirk. "Okay, why are _you_ here?"

Aiden chuckled. "Am I not allowed to sit with the prettiest girl in school?" He asked, looking at October.

Luca, Mari, and Alice all made disgusted faces at Aiden's comment, while October chuckled, a bit amused. "Really? Because, I know you, Aiden. You're a total player. How do I know if you're actually interested in me or not?"

"You really think that anyone else in this school compares to you?" He asked, causing Mari and Alice to frown at him.

October looked around. "There are plenty of pretty girls around here."

Aiden scoffed. "I don't want them, though. I want you."

"Good luck with that," Ryder growled as he sat down in between October and Aiden, pushing him a bit as he did so.

Aiden glared at the quarterback and looked around. "Why are you here exactly? Where's your girlfriend?"

"She's eating with Michelle, her best friend or whatever," Ryder rolled his eyes. "Why are you here?"

"I'm talking to your sister, obviously." Aiden retorted.

Alice frowned at all of the arguing, and turned to Luca. "I'm gonna go visit one of my favorite teachers, I don't like this drama."

"You want me to come with you?" He asked.

She shook her head. "It's okay. I'll see you after school," She kissed him on the cheek, grabbed her lunch, and left.

October, in the meantime, rolled her eyes at the arguing. "Would you two just shut up? You're so annoying."

"He started it!" Ryder exclaimed.

"I don't care," October hissed, looking at her brother. "You should know better, Ryder."

Ryder scoffed. "Whatever, this isn't worth my time." He was about to stand up when a spear was suddenly thrown next to his head. "Oh shit!" Ryder fell back down onto the bench as the other four teens looked over.

"What the hell?" Aiden looked over at the weapon as October looked to her brother in shock.

"What was that?" She asked, making sure Ryder was alright.

Students began to scream in horror as monsters began to rise up from the ground seemingly from nowhere. Teachers and students began to run into open classrooms and anywhere they could hide, whereas the five at the table stared in shock.

Mari started to try to stand to get away. "What are those things?!" She exclaimed.

The monsters, Titans, were gray colored creatures with a wrinkly, human shaped body, and armor all over. They had armor like ancient Roman soldiers, and had spears in hand.

As Mari tried to get away, one of them tried to grab her. She immediately ducked and put her hands out to stop the Titan's arm from hurting her. As she did so, her hands began to glow a faint yellow and made the Titan light on fire before it disintegrated to ash. She yelped in shock, backing away from the ashes on the ground as another one near her exploded in flames as well.

Distracted by what just happened, October also got grabbed from behind and was dragged away from the table. "Stop!" She exclaimed in shock. "Let me go!" She said, struggling to break free. Suddenly, the Titan dropped her and stood there in silence. "What the hell?" She whispered, kicking the Titan down before standing up to realize she was in the middle of a group of them, who had all stopped when she yelled. Her body was glowing a faint pink.

Ryder saw his sister get taken and stood up immediately to help when a group of Titans got in his way. His arms glowed a faint green as he punched the Titan hard, immediately making it fly into the far wall, cracking it, and making the footsolider disintegrate. He frowned, looking down at his arms as he kicked another one away. He saw the Titan fly back again and frowned, since he didn't put that much strength in his attack.

When one got near Luca, he put his arms out to defend himself, water from a nearby water fountain burst out and shot at the monster, throwing it to the side and disintegrating it. He flinched back, closing his eyes and hoping the water wouldn't do the same to him, but he found no water coming at him at all. He opened his eyes to find the water moving around him unnaturally, leaving him perfectly dry. His hands glowed a faint blue as he stared in shock.

Aiden, startled by everything going on, sat at the table, looking around in shock. A Titan came over to him, swing it's spear, but Aiden ducked and crawled out under his spear. As the spear came back around and swung at him, he put his arm out to stop it. To his surprise, the swing never came because a light came and hit the Titan in the face. Then, a strong wind came and made the monster fly back. Aiden put his hands up to look at them, and found them glowing a faint red color.

"Hey!" A voice yelled, running into the lunch room with a blaster. The five teens looked over at this person as she blasted all of the Titans down before putting the blaster back on her belt.

"Who are you?" Luca asked, standing up and walking out of the water stream, still without getting wet.

"I'm Liela," She responded, gesturing for the teens to come with her. "We have to go."

Aiden scoffed. "We don't even know who you are! I mean, you could be working with those things!"

"Actually, I'm doing the opposite," She responded. "I'll explain everything, just come with me."

After a bit of hesitation, the teens followed her out towards the command center.

\- PRGG -

When the teens got to the command center, Liela gestured for them to sit down as Mason offered them something to drink.

"We don't want drinks, we want answers!" October exclaimed. "What the hell were those things, and what happened out there?!"

Liela sat down in front of them. "Okay, look," She started. "I'm gonna tell you everything I can, and it'll sound crazy, but just give me a chance. Hopefully it'll all make sense in the end."

Ryder scoffed. "There no way it could be as crazy as what happened out there, so go ahead."

"Thank you," Liela nodded. "Now, to answer your question, those were Titans, creatures from mythology that happen to work for Saturn."

Mari frowned. "The planet?" She asked. "How can monsters work for a planet?"

Liela gave her an irritated look. "Not the planet, the Roman god of time and the father of some of the most famous of the gods. Saturn is an evil being who wants to make the world a godly place, rather than fill it with humans."

"But we're already here," Aiden said.

Liela nodded. "Yeah, which is why he plans to kill you all." She told him, making him quiet. "Now, as for what you guys did out there, you've proved to me something I already knew. You five are the demigods that we need to become power rangers and defeat Saturn and his army."

"No way, we're just regular teenagers!" Mari exclaimed. "We can't be demigods. They don't exist!"

"Well, how would you explain what happened out there? Or what happened about last December when you stop a burglar with your powers?" Liela asked. "The world needs you guys to except your responsibilities as demigods, and rangers."

October sighed. "She does have a point."

"October, you believe this?!" Ryder scoffed.

She looked to her brother. "How else could you explain what's going on? I believe Liela."

"Me too," Luca spoke up for the first time since they got to the command center.

Mari, Ryder, and Aiden looked amongst each other. "But..." Mari started. "How do you know?"

Liela gave her a small, reassuring smile. "There's no one else with powers like yours. You guys are them."

After a moment, Mari gave in, nodding. "If it's for the greater good."

October nudged her brother, who moved a bit away from her, making her frown in confusion. "Let's just do it, whatever," He whispered. "I know we have to."

They all looked to Aiden then, waiting for him to respond. He looked around before sighing. "Okay,"

Liela stood up and took a box from Mason. She opened it to reveal small lockets with three of them on black rope and two on a silver chain. Next to the individual lockets were small coins.

Liela put the box on the table and pulled out one with a silver chain, handing it to Mari. "Mari, you are the daughter of Vesta, and will assume the position of the yellow ranger." She handed her a coin that had a fire symbol on it. It glinted yellow as she took it.

She pulled one with a black rope out and handed it to Luca. "Luca, you are the son of Neptune, and will assume the position of the blue ranger," She handed him a coin with the symbol of water on it. It shined blue as he touched it.

She pulled out another one with a black rope and handed it to Ryder. "Ryder, you are the son of Mars, and will assume the position of the green ranger," She hands him a coin with a war helmet and various weapons on it. It turned green when he took it.

Liela pulled out the last one with the silver chain and handed it to October. "October, you are the daughter of Venus, and will assume the position of the pink ranger and second-in-command of the team." She handed her a coin with a heart on it. It turned pink when she took it.

Lastly, she pulled out one with a black rope and handed it to Aiden. "Aiden, you are the son of Jupiter, and will assume the position of the red ranger, and will be the leader of the team." She handed him a coin with a lightning bolt on it. It turned red when he touched it.

"You all will create the team, Guardians of the Galaxy," Liela told them. "You are officially rangers."

\- PRGG -

Down in Tartarus, Saturn sat in his throne angrily. He had watched the teens defeat his Titans, and growled under his breath. Saturn, looking similar to a regular man was about 6'1 with dirty blonde hair and red eyes.

"Polus! Iapetus!" He yelled, calling his generals into his throne room.

Polus came in first. He was a monster with an abnormally large head a large hunched back. He was a large monster, and was often used for information more than fighting.

Iapetus came in next, looking like a larger version of the footsoldiers, though he was much larger and had a sword on his belt along with the spear in hand.

"Yes, master?" Polus asked, a bit fearful of Saturn's wrath.

"I think we have some pesky demigods around," Saturn told them. "We have to destroy them at any cost. Get a monster ready, we're gonna take these demigods down."

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Guardians of the Galaxy:** Aiden struggles to lead the team with his bossy attitude.

 **I really hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter of this story, and I hope you all continue to read it through the course of it's run! Oh, like I said above, check out the opening video, and also check out the cover photo if you're not on mobile!**

 **Oh, and for those of you that read Data Surge but couldn't find the poll in my bio, I uploaded it a bit late, sorry! It's there now, so vote for your favorite character to come back in Energy Warriors, which will happen after Animal Guardians (which will be updated very soon).**

 **As always, I appreciate reviews, so if you have time, feel free to leave one down below!**

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley.**


	2. Ep 2: What Really Makes A Leader?

**Hey, I'm back with the next chapter! I've been spending time lately planning what's gonna happen in the story, and I think I've got it at this point, so be prepared for what's to come!**

 **Also, thank you guys so much for the kind reviews! I've been a bit busy and couldn't respond like I'd like to, so thanks!**

 **Brent is portrayed by Jake T. Austin**

* * *

Aiden sat down in a lawn chair, watching as the other rangers sparred. It was Ryder against October and Luca against Mari. Since there were five rangers, Aiden decided that they couldn't all spar together, making the teams up.

All of the rangers were dressed in their training uniforms, which included black capri tights for October and Mari, black shorts for Luca, Ryder, and Aiden, and they all had tank tops in their respective colors. They also wore exercise shoes.

Aiden noticed October glancing at him out of the corner of her eye as she ducking under a punch from her brother and swept his feet out from under him. As she helped him up, she looked directly at the red ranger.

"So, are you gonna spar now, or continue to drink your lemonade, princess?" October asked, crossing her arms.

Aiden sipped his drink and feigned innocence to her. "What could you possibly mean? I told you guys what teams we had. I'm the leader, and you listen to what I say."

She scoffed. "Well, when you get hurt in a battle because you haven't been practicing, I'll enjoy a lemonade while I make you spar to get back into shape. I am second-in-command, so I can do that."

"Are you worried about me?" Aiden smirked, putting his drink on the ground next to him. "I knew you liked me."

October rolled her eyes as Ryder crossed his arms. "I think you just don't wanna spar 'cause you're afraid to lose," Ryder challenged. "It's not that hard, Aiden. Just come up here get your ass beat,"

The other rangers let out a few laughs and Aiden stood up. "Alright, then. October, sit out. I got this."

"I was going to with or without your permission," She muttered, going to sit in his chair.

Aiden got into a fight stance opposite of Ryder. The red ranger threw a punch that Ryder caught and twisted his arm to the side. Aiden winced in pain but quickly tried to bring his other arm down to escape his grasp, however Ryder also grabbed his other arm.

"Is that all you can do?" Ryder asked, chuckling.

Aiden growled and kicked him in the side of his thigh, immediately throwing the green ranger down. "I guess not." Aiden smirked.

Ryder quickly kicked at Aiden's feet, making him fall to the ground as well. He stood back up as Aiden lunged at him. Ryder defended himself against the punches, throwing back some of his own when October grabbed him at the waist and pulled him back while Mari and Luca held Aiden back.

The green ranger immediately pulled out of her grasp, making her give him a strange look. He put his hands up in a surrender. "It's fine."

October watched him walk off, before turning on Aiden. "What was that?!" She exclaimed. "Once someone's down, it's over."

"Ryder kicked me down after he was down," Aiden gestured to the retreated figure. "So I'm guessing it's not over if your little brother decides it's not? Oh and it's also not okay to defend myself? I think you need to learn, October, that you're not a leader!"

She scoffed. "And you are? Why don't you look in the mirror once in a while? Maybe then you'll learn something about yourself."

"She's not wrong, Aiden," Mari whispered as she slowly began to follow the pink ranger. "I'm sorry."

When they left, Aiden turned to Luca. "Are they for real?"

Luca sighed. "Look, mate, I'm gonna be the nice guy in this situation and listen to what you're telling me, but you might want to consider what they're saying. They don't like your attitude."

"What attitude?!" Aiden exclaimed, exasperatedly as he crossed his arms. "I'm the leader, you guys have to listen to me! I'm in charge! Not them!"

"That one," Luca clapped him on the shoulder. "You need to realize that everyone on the team is important, not just you."

As Luca walked away, the red ranger stood there, staring after his team in shock. _Why don't they get it?!_ Aiden thought. _I_ am _the most important member of team! They need me._ He shook his head. _They're gonna get it. I'm the leader. Nothing's gonna change that._

 **\- Cue Opening -**

"I don't think Aiden should be the leader," Ryder muttered as he and Luca sat at lunch the next day. "He's an ass."

Luca shrugged. "I agree that he's a jerk, but that doesn't mean he shouldn't be a leader. I think he needs to learn that the real quality of a leader is knowing when to follow. He's more of a straight-forward person in the sense that he knows what he wants, he's going to get his way."

"No joke," October commented as she and Mari joined them. She didn't fail to notice Ryder scooting over a bit on the bench when she sat down. "He's what I like to call a brat, or a bitch. Take your pick."

"You know, I find that guys think girls are more attractive when they don't have bad mouth," Mari commented, giving October a look.

October rolled her eyes, "I don't think I should rule my life around what guys want from me. Maybe you can, I'm not like that. I don't care what people think. Anyone doesn't like it can go screw themselves. No biggie."

Mari frowned and opened her mouth to speak when Aiden sat down, causing the whole table to be silent. "What?" He asked, looking through his lunch.

"I'm sorry, are you here because we're doing something that you don't like, Aiden?" October sneered. "Oh, I mean Dictator."

Aiden smirked. "You wish I was your dictator."

October made a face. "I think that's the other way around."

"Come on, guys," Luca stopped them. "Let's just enjoy our lunch. We're all friends here, right?"

"Barely," Mari said.

The group began to eat lunch silently, before Ryder frowned. "This is the worst lunch I've ever had to sit through." He stated. "I'm surrounded by people I don't know, and don't like."

October gave him a hurt look, but he tried to ignore it. "Look, this sucks. We were talking, before Aiden got here."

Aiden crossed his arms. "So you don't want me here?"

"I don't like anyone does," Ryder growled. "No one likes you! Do you even have friends?! And if you do, why are you sitting with us?"

October elbowed him. "Hey, that's not cool, Ryder. Aiden may be a jerk sometimes, but you can't talk to people like that."

"Don't tell me what to do, October. You don't have the right," He stood up, grabbing his food. "I'm gonna go sit with my girlfriend."

"What?!" October exclaimed. She turned to the others. "Did I just hear that right or what?"

Mari nodded. "Yeah, you did. That's brutal. I think he's going through a rebellious phase,"

"Please," October rolled her eyes. "Ryder's whole life is a rebellious phase." She turned to Aiden. "Look, I'm not happy with you either, but I feel like I should apologize for what my brother said. He doesn't usually act like that. I don't know what's gotten into him."

Aiden opened his mouth to say something snarky back, but when he saw the look on October's face, he decided not to. "It's fine. He's not wrong, I should go hang out with my friends, because obviously none of you are them." He stood up to leave, when he turned back to her. "Thanks, for the apology."

As he left, October stared after him in shock. "I don't exactly know what shocks me more," October said. "Ryder storming off like that, or Aiden being mildly nice."

"He seemed upset," Mari frowned. "Like legitimately hurt by what Ryder said."

Luca nodded. "I agree. He did seem upset,"

October looked over, seeing Aiden go towards the field and the bleachers, before pursing her lips. _Maybe he's not that bad after all._

\- PRGG -

Aiden got to his apartment, which he shared with his best friend, Brent Perez, and Brent's twin sister, Dani. When he got there, he found his friend sitting on the couch, watching TV. Brent was about 5'8 with tan skin, brown hair, and brown eyes. He wore a white, long sleeved shirt with black jeans and black and white converse. He held the remote in his hands, looking at the TV in interest.

"Hey," Brent called to him, throwing him a can of soda from his position on the couch.

Aiden opened the can. "Thanks," He nodded to him before sitting down as well. "What are you watching?" He looked around. "And where's Dani?"

Brent gestured to the door. "Dani's at a friend's house, and I'm watching this movie.. I don't know what it's called, but it has Rosemary and Grayson Diamond in it, so you know it's good."

Aiden chuckled. "That's for sure." After a few moments of silence, Aiden sighed. "Hey, do you think I suck?"

Brent gave him a strange look. "If I thought that would you be living here?"

"Probably not," Aiden nodded. "But I mean, what don't you like about me?"

"What's this about?" Brent laughed. "This kinda weird."

Aiden shrugged. "It shouldn't really matter that much, but I've been hanging out with these people, and they think I'm an ass, basically. I don't know why I even care, I've never cared what they've thought of me before, but.. it's different now."

"I don't know who else you're hanging out with, except for October, who I thought you did care what she thought," Brent said, smirking a bit.

Aiden gave a small smile. "Yeah, there's _always_ been something different about October."

Brent frowned a bit. "Then why are you _always_ a jerk to her and the others? I mean, I don't hang out with you guys, but I know you have a tendency to be jerk sometimes. That, and you can be bossy."

"Well, how do I change what they think of me?" Aiden asked, crossing his arms. "I don't want them to think I'm like that."

Brent sighed. "Look, Aiden, I get where you're coming from, but you _are_ like that. You're not perfect, and you can be hard to deal with sometimes. That's who you are."

Aiden frowned at him. "Are you saying I can't change?"

"You've been like this since you were a kid. It's hard to teach an old dog new tricks," Brent told him.

The red ranger got a bit angry, not only with his friend but with himself. If he wanted to change, why was he asking others to do it for him? He needed to do it for himself.

He felt his locket get hot just like Liela said it would when there was a battle.

Aiden reached up and grabbed his locket in his hand, feeling the coin that sat on the side of it. _I know exactly what I'm gonna do._

\- PRGG -

When Aiden got to the battle, he found the other rangers already there. While Mari and Luca were taking on the Titans, October and Ryder were attempting to fight off the monster, who seemed to be a Minotaur.

The Minotaur stood up on it's feet, the body of a fit man up until the right shoulder and arm, where it became a bull, manifesting the most in the head. It had black pants on the bottom, and black boots, and it was a strong fighter.

October flipped back out of the way of an attack, but was quickly rammed down by the Minotaur running forward and head-butting her to the ground. Ryder came at the monster, but was easily thrown to the side.

Aiden then looked over to Mari and Luca, who actually seemed to be handling themselves against the Titans, using their weapons and everything.

Mari leaned back to avoid a hit from one of them, before ducking down and kicking out a group of their legs. She then turned around and stabbed at a few with her swords. She took a blaster out of her belt, blasting one away from Luca, who was about to get hit.

He nodded in appreciation. "Thanks," Luca flipped down from the top of a car, stabbing one Titan and throwing it off to the side. He kicked one out of his way ended up in the middle of a group of them. He quickly put his sword out and spun around, taking them all out in the process.

Seeing as they were handling themselves well, Aiden knew he had to help October and Ryder. Without morphing, similar to the others, he pressed his locket, giving him a sword in hand and ran forward.

He flipped over a group of Titans and kicked the Minotaur down.

"Aiden?" October looked up at him in awe. "You're here!"

Aiden nodded with a little smirk. "You can't do it without the leader," At the look on her face, he offered her his hand. "And I can't do it without you guys."

October gave him a smile and took his hand to help her up. "What made you have a change of heart?"

"I want you guys to see me as a good person, not just a jerk, even if I am one sometimes. I'm sorry for the way I acted," He told her, before realizing they were still holding hands.

She blushed and pulled away. "Sorry, I got distracted. I appreciate your apology."

"Don't be," He smiled. "I'm glad."

"Guys," Mari waved her hand between them. "Sorry to break up your super cute moment," She gave October a playful smirk, "But the Minotaur kinda wants to kill us."

The team lined up in front of the Minotaur. "Ready?" Aiden asked, standing in the middle of the team, looking to the sides. October stood immediately to his right, with Mari next to her, and Ryder stood immediately to his left, with Luca next to him.

"Ready," The others nodded.

They took the coins from the sides of their lockets and pressed it into their morphers. "Guardians, Rise Up!"

Suddenly, a rush of wind surrounded Aiden. Red lighting bolts crackled around him, forming his suit from the feet up. His entire suit was red except for his chest, neck, and cuffs around his gloves and boots being white. He had a golden belt to separate the white from the red, and the white chest went around his entire upper body, cutting off at his arms and belt. He had a gold line down the middle of the white area, along with one on both of his upper arms. His helmet was red with a bit of gold above his visor, and he had a little circle at the top right side of his chest with eight colors on it - red on top, then pink, green, blue, yellow, white, forest green, and black - which was outlined in gold as well. "Red Guardian!"

Pink glittery dust began to surround October, forming her suit from the ground up as well. Her suit was similar to his, except pink, and with an addition of a white skirt after her belt. "Pink Guardian!"

Green sand began to rise from the ground to cover Ryder, forming his suit. "Green Guardian!"

Deep blue water began to rain onto Luca, forming his suit. "Blue Guardian!"

Finally, yellow fire swept up Mari's body, forming her suit. "Yellow Guardian!"

"Power Rangers," They called. "Guardians of the Galaxy!"

Their swords were now at their belts, along with a blaster, a dagger, and a retractable spear.

"This is so cool!" Mari exclaimed, smoothing out her skirt.

Aiden gestured at the Minotaur in front of them, who didn't seem impressed. "Let's go guys!"

Mari and Luca ran in first. Mari slashed at him with her sword, using her power to make it hot so it burned the creature when she slashed at it. She flipped over him, allowing Luca to slash him, using his power to make the water from his sword extremely cold, slashing just above the mark Mari made, causing the creature to howl in pain.

Ryder and October went in next. Ryder used his super strength and agility to slash through the monster hard, making a deep cut in the Minotaur's skin. As he pivoted out of the way, October used her biological manipulation to make her arms stronger, slashing through the monster with ease.

As the Minotaur was almost done, Aiden ran forwards, using the wind to make him faster, and slashed through him with the lighting power of Jupiter.

The creature cried out in pain before falling to the ground and exploding behind them. The rangers looked amongst each other before looking back. They demorphed.

"We did it!" October exclaimed, jumping into Aiden's arms for a hug as all of the rangers cheered in excitement.

Aiden was stunned at her hug, but hugged her back almost immediately. "Yeah, we did." He smiled, hugging her close.

She pressed her face into his shoulder, before realizing how long she had been hugging her and then pulled away. She looked at him awkwardly. "That wasn't weird, was it?"

"No, never," Aiden assured her.

The team began to walk back to the command center, Aiden walking a bit behind the others, watching them excitedly talking. October glanced back at him, noticing him feeling a bit left out.

She was about to walk back to join him when Mari grabbed her arm and began talking about how cool the battle was. She looked back at him almost apologetically as Mari continued to chatter in her ear.

\- PRGG -

The next day, October saw Aiden glance at the table before walking towards the bleachers again. "Wow, our amazing leader isn't gonna sit with us?" Ryder sneered sarcastically.

October frowned at him. "Shut up, Ryder. I don't know what's up with you lately, but I don't like it. If you don't wanna talk about, at least don't be a jerk about it."

"Well, you want him to sit here?" Mari asked, poking at her salad with a plastic fork. "I mean, he was great in that battle yesterday, but you have to admit that he's kind of mean."

Luca gestured to Mari. "Even though I like to be the nice guy, I have to agree with Mari."

October shook her head. "I think there's more to Aiden than meet the eye. He apologized for the way he acted, and told me that he needed us. I believe him, and I'm gonna go to him."

She picked up her back and lunch before walking over to the bleachers. When she walked over, she saw him laughing and talking with friends, and stopped walking. He looked like he was enjoying himself, and she suddenly didn't want to go over there and stop him.

She turned back around and began to walk back to the table when Aiden spotted her from his seat.

"Hey, I gotta go guys," Aiden told them, grabbing his bag and lunch. "October!" He called. "Wait up!" October turned around with a smile as he caught up with her. "Hey, why were you leaving? You could've come over. I'd rather hang with you guys than them anyway, I just didn't think you guys felt the same."

October shrugged. "Well, the others might not be all for it, but I am. You may be a total d-bag sometimes, but you have your moments. I think you're a good person."

Aiden gave her a small smile. "That means a lot, thanks."

"No problem. If you ever need someone to remind you of that, I'm your girl." She told him.

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Guardians of the Galaxy:** Ryder reveals to October what's bothering him, leaving her in shock.

 **So, what do you think of Aiden and October, huh? And what do you think about Aiden's change? I thought it was pretty good, even though I didn't make much out of the idea. This chapter's a bit shorter than I would've wanted it, but I tend to be shorter at the beginning most of the time, so I'll be writing longer chapters soon.**

 **Also, what do you think Ryder's so upset about? He really doesn't seem happy with his sister. I haven't really mentioned it before, but if you look at the last chapter and really do the math about the gods and the rangers, you might find something weird.**

 **Anyways, I really hope you guys liked it. I usually don't write twice in one day (I updated Animal Guardians, if you were wondering and don't read that story), so this was a bit of a treat for you guys!**

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


	3. Ep 3: No Relation

**Hey guys, I'm back again! As I'm guessing you've noticed, I've been updating pretty fast lately, especially if you've been reading my previous works. I was in a bit of a funk with writing, but I've gotten back into it ten-fold, and with the extra time I now have on my hands, if just makes everything way easier. Anyways, here's the next chapter.**

* * *

While Luca and Mari practiced their powers a bit more outside, October, Aiden, and Ryder were inside reading up on their history. Liela, however, was trying to get Ryder to go practice his powers outside.

"I don't want to," Ryder told her, shrugging her hand off of his shoulder. "I'd rather study."

October laughed. "That's surprising,"

Ryder glared at her. "Actually, I'd rather not do either."

Liela sighed, frowning. "Okay, what's going on? I get that you might not be the whole working kind of person, but you have to do something better yourself as a ranger. That's just the way it is."

"Well, what if I don't want to?" Ryder crossed his arms.

"Then you might want to find something else to do, because if you don't get better, you _will_ get hurt. Trust me, I've trained enough teams to know that." Liela told him.

October and Aiden were studying together, but they looked up when they heard this. "Ryder, just do it. What's the problem?" October asked, frowning at him.

Ryder shook his head. "I guess, since you didn't notice, that there's nothing wrong."

She gave him a look. "Excuse me? I have no idea what you're talking about. What should I have noticed?"

He sighed. "I don't wanna talk about it. I'll go outside with Luca and Mari."

Aiden and October watched him leave. "Okay, I have no idea what's going on with him." October said, rubbing a hand on her face tiredly. "But this is getting old."

"How long has he been acting like that?" Liela asked, sitting on the edge of the couch they were on.

October shrugged. "Sort of since we became rangers. I know it hasn't been that long, but it's really getting on my nerves. Every time I say something to him he either ignores me or gives me the cold shoulder."

"Did you do something wrong?" Aiden asked, putting his book down.

"I don't think so," October responded. "I've tried to ask, but he just ignores me or says he doesn't wanna talk about it. He's so annoying," She muttered.

Aiden chuckled. "He's acting kinda like a girl," When October gave him a look, Aiden spoke again. "I mean..."

"Just stop," October put her hand up. "I get what you mean, even if you're being a dick about it."

Liela cleared her throat. "He's probably just going through a phase. It could be nothing."

October sighed. "I don't know, Liela. It could be something, too."

"You're a jerk!" Mari yelled as she stormed in, soaked in water. "Where are my real clothes? I'm changing!"

As she stormed upstairs to change, Luca and Ryder came in. Luca walked quickly away from Ryder and towards the others. "I think he has anger issues."

The three frowned. "What's going on?" October asked, standing up.

Ryder put his hands up in exasperation. "Oh, and now October gets to come in and fix everything. Go ahead - do it. I'll let you try."

October huffed. "Okay, Ryder, if you want me to fix it, then why don't you tell me exactly what's wrong!"

"You really wanna know?" He asked. Just as he was about to speak, the alarm blared loudly throughout the command center. He took a deep breath and looked at his sister, who had a worried expression on his face. "Don't worry about it," He told her. "It's not your job."

She watched him run out, with Luca and Mari right behind him. Aiden put his hand on her shoulder. "It'll be okay. We have to go."

The two ran out out of the command center. _I really, really hope you're right._ She thought.

 **\- Cue Opening -**

When the rangers got to the battle, they saw a very strange creature waiting for them. It was a Hippalectryon, a monster with the front of a horse and the back of a rooster.

"That cannot be real," Aiden stifled a chuckle. "That's crazy."

Mari frowned in disgust. "We're not actually gonna be fighting that thing, are we?"

October pursed her lips into a smile, avoiding laughing. "Unfortunately, we are."

The Hippalectryon whinnied at them, attracting their attention back.

"Ready, guys?" Aiden asked.

"Ready,"

"Guardians, Rise Up!"

"Red Guardian!"

"Pink Guardian!"

"Blue Guardian!"

"Yellow Guardian!"

While the others called out role call, Ryder pull his sword out and ran forward, starting the battle.

"Ryder!" October ran after him as the others got sidetracked with Titans.

Mari was immediately swarmed with multiple Titans, all of them pointing their spears at her. She shrieked, stepping back a bit, but unfortunately backed into more Titans. She pulled out her own spear and stabbed one of the Titans with it, startling her. She shook it off and swung it to the side, hitting more on the way.

One of the Titans grabbed her spear and pulled her forward, making her hit the ground hard. She rolled over onto her back, dusting herself off a bit as she looked up in shock, surrounded by a group once again.

Luca wasn't having much more luck than her. He was grabbed onto a low branch on a tree and swung himself towards a few Titans to kick them down, but was grabbed by the waist and pulled down. He landed on the ground, pinned down under at least three.

Aiden was being pushed and punched around in a group of Titans. One of them suddenly grabbed him and held tight while the others beat him around.

Meanwhile, Ryder was kicked away by one of the rooster feet, and October ran forward, holding her dagger in hand as she jumped up on a car and flipped towards the monster.

She ducked under it's head to come in under it's chest, but was kicked hard by the other rooster foot, one of it's claws going slightly in her helmet. She pressed her head to the back of her helmet and screamed as it threw her to the side like a rag doll.

Ryder growled and stood back up, immediately running back towards the monster, who quickly turned towards him, ramming him in the chest and knocking him back into a car, demorphing him.

The monster went up on it's hind legs, letting out another whinny before disappearing along with the Titans.

October pushed herself up painfully as she demorphed and ran over to her brother, who was also working on getting up.

"Ryder!" She knelt down next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Why do you care?!" He exclaimed, shoving her hand off of him. "Get away from me!"

October, hurt, sat back on the ground and stared up at him as he got up. He looked back down at her, and took a deep breath, not being able to handle the look on her face. "It's nothing," He whispered.

He ran off in the direction of their apartment as Luca walked over to help her up. She was about to run after him when Aiden held her back.

"You need to get looked at," Aiden told her. "You're hurt."

"Yeah, and so is my brother! I need to help him," October tried to pull away.

Luca stopped her as well this time. "Look, we get it, but he needs obviously needs sometime to cool off before you two can talk."

Mari nodded as she pulled herself over to them. "Yeah, October, just let him calm down. He'll be fine."

"But..." October tried to pull away again, but to no avail.

Mari grabbed her arm in her own. "Come on, it'll be easier to talk to him once he's calm. In the meantime, we can go back to the command center and talk about clothes, and boys." She added.

The others led her away while October continued looking back in the direction of her brother.

\- PRGG -

Ryder arrived at their apartment, out of breath and tired. His whole body hurt, and he just wanted to lay down and forget this all happened, especially with what he did to his sister... No, October.

He realized something was off about their godly parents, and it made him realize that something mentioned in that list was impossible.

It made him angry that no one ever told him, and it made him even more angry that he had lived a lie. He felt so wrong being around October because she wasn't the same as he thought she was.

The worst part about it was that it wasn't October's fault, but Ryder had no one else to be angry at. The look on her face when he pushed her away was almost too much to bear for him.

He took an apple out of the fridge and began to eat it as he sat at the island in the kitchen.

By the time he had finished, October came into the apartment, with a worried look on her face. She looked at him and sighed. "I know you're mad at me, though I'm not sure why, but you could've at least came to the command center to get cleaned up."

She walked towards him to look him over, but stopped halfway. He pursed his lips. "Yeah, I needed to cool off."

October sat down at the island. "What's going, Ryder?"

"We're not _really_ siblings, you know," He muttered, crossing her arms at her. "Did you know that?"

She frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, you have a godly mother and a human father," She nodded, beginning to realize what he was saying. "I have a godly father and a human mother. We're not related."

"Wow," She reveled in that for a moment before looking back up at him. "That's.. unexpected, but you're wrong about one thing."

He scoffed. "I don't think I'm wrong."

She smiled at him. "Yes, you are. Just because we have different parents, doesn't mean we're not siblings. Hey, family doesn't end in blood. I still love you like my brother, and I'll never not think of you as my brother, even if you want me to. I'm your big sister."

He rubbed a hand over his face. "It feels weird. I don't feel like you should have this responsibility if you don't have to."

"What are talking about?" She asked.

"You know," Ryder gestured to the apartment and himself. "When mom and dad died, you took responsibility of me, and you didn't have to. Now, you know that you're not related to me, so I feel uncomfortable with you doing this."

October rolled her eyes. "I did that because I love you, and I would've done it if you were my blood or not. Like I said, you're still my brother, no matter what you say, and I'll always be your sister, whether you want to believe it or not."

He shook his head. "I don't get it October," He said. "Why?"

"I already told you," October smiled, reaching out to him. "It's because I love you."

He backed away, putting his hands up to keep her away. "I just.. give me some time to think."

She watched him go into his room and sighed. _Well, doesn't this just suck._

\- PRGG -

"I can tell," Mari responded after October told them what had happened. "You two look nothing alike. At all. I was surprised when I first met you guys. The only thing you really have in common is brown hair and height, even though he is a bit taller than you."

October rolled her eyes. "It doesn't matter, though. I don't care if he's not my blood sibling, it doesn't change the fact that he _is_ my sibling!" She exclaimed. "He just needs to get it through his head."

Luca put his hand out to attract her attention. "Look, October, I get where you're coming from, but if I had a sister and I found out she wasn't related to me, I'd be shocked too. That's a big bomb to drop on somebody. Just because it doesn't bother you, doesn't mean it won't bother him."

"It doesn't bother me because it shouldn't." October shook her head. "You guys don't get it. Just like I told him, family doesn't end with blood. I don't care what anybody says, I'll never say Ryder isn't my brother."

Aiden nodded at her. "You guys are pretty close, huh?"

"Yeah," She gave a small smile. "We always have been. We look out for each other. I know that he loves me, even he doesn't say it that much. I hope we'll always be close, especially once we get past this hurdle."

"Maybe you should just make sure he knows he's wanted," Mari said.

"You don't think he knows that?" October asked, raising her eyebrow.

\- PRGG -

Ryder and Mel were sitting at the park, having skipped school to hang out together. He explained the situation to her as well as he could without revealing their identities, and Mel crossed her arms.

"I wouldn't stay with her. She's a bitch," Mel told him. "She probably knew and just hid it from you."

Ryder gave her a look, "I don't think she did, and she's not a bitch."

Mel scoffed. "Why are you defending her? She's not even your sister. I don't think you should care about what she does anymore. You have no ties."

"Well," Ryder rubbed the back of his neck, feeling conflicted. Since he had started to think about it, what October was saying made more and more sense, especially hearing what Mel was saying. "I don't know, Mel. It was weird yesterday and since I found out, but now it's not really. I mean, I'm starting to think she might have been right."

"About?" Mel asked, raising her eyebrow.

Ryder sighed. "About us still being a family. It doesn't matter if we have blood, we're still brother and sister, you know?"

"You know what I would do if I was in this situation?" Mel asked. "I would leave."

He looked at her with a side glare. "Look, Mel, I know you don't like October, and you're probably just looking out for me or whatever, but you have to accept the fact that I can make my own decisions and I think October is still my older sister."

Mel shrugged with pursed lips. "Whatever you wanna think,"

Ryder looked at her as she went back on her phone. For some reason, Ryder had had a small crush on her, and maybe it was because of how she treated him before they dated, and for a little bit after too. Now, however, Mel was jealous very easily, and always had a rude comment to say. The worst part about dating her was October.

Mel and October used to be friends when they were younger, in about eighth grade to sophomore year, but when their parents died and October had to spend a few weeks out of school, Mel dissed her for new friends. Ryder did think this was a very rude thing to do, but she had never acted that way to him, causing him to wonder if there was more to the story than what he knew.

Then again, his sister had never lied to him before, from his knowledge. October was always very straightforward, and usually told everyone the truth. This is also the reason he doesn't think she knew. She would've told him. October was much too young to remember anything from back then anyways, so if their parents did get married while his mom was pregnant with him, she wouldn't have known.

He then looked back at Mel. He wondered why she wanted to date him in the first place because, before October and Mel stopped hanging out, Mel never really noticed he was around. In fact, when she did, she would always think he was annoying.

"Hey, Mel?" She hummed in response, not looking up from her phone. "Why did you want to start dating, anyway? I mean, we never talked when you and October were friends."

She shrugged. "You're cute, and you're cool. What's not to like?" She asked, seeming uninterested by this question. "Do you think something's wrong?" She gave him a look.

He shook his head. "No, just wondering."

\- PRGG -

"So they aren't related?" Alice asked as she and Luca sat in the living room of her house. Her dad, Bill, was at work, leaving them alone - through much trust he eventually gave them. Bill was technically Alice's grandfather, though had adopted her after some issues with her mother. While her mother, Sarah, was in a much better place now, Alice still chose to stay with her dad.

Luca shook his head. "Not technically. They're step-siblings, I assume."

Alice nodded. "Makes sense. October told me a bit about it earlier and said that she thinks his mom was pregnant with Ryder when she married her dad. I wonder who their other parents are."

"Yeah," Luca muttered, even though he knew. He couldn't just tell her - she'd wind up in trouble, and that wouldn't be good.

"So, why have you and O been hanging out without me lately?" Alice asked. 'O' was nickname given to October, first by her brother, and was also called that by Alice at times. "You guys have more fun with the others?"

"No," Luca hugged her close. "We just.. have a situation with them."

Alice frowned. "What? You guys are in a club or something?"

He chuckled nervously and shrugged. "Sort of. It's kinda like charity work, I guess."

"Ooh," She smiled. "Can I join?"

Luca sighed. "Well, it's a tight-knit group. We don't really have any openings. I'm sorry."

She gave him a half-hearted smile, obviously disappointed. "Alright, but if there are, you'll tell me, right?"

"Of course," He told her, kissing her on the forehead. "I'm really sorry, Alice. You know I would if I could."

Alice nodded. "Yeah, I know. So, I can still sit with you guys at lunch? 'Cause I've just been hanging out with Ms. Sher, and she's great and all, but I wanna hang out with my boyfriend and best friend."

He laughed. "Yeah, you were never kicked out. I was actually wondering why you weren't there."

\- PRGG -

Meanwhile, Mari had taken October, out of force, to the mall with her to shop for clothes for the quickly approaching season of fall. Mari was dragging her into all of her favorite stores, trying to pick out things for her.

"Mari, you don't have to do this," October said, pushing a shirt out of her face when Mari held it up to her body. "I mean, I like shopping and all, but I have enough clothes. Actually, I have too much - I need to throw some away."

The yellow ranger gestured to a nearby Sephora. "You need makeup?"

October gave the store a longing look. "It may not seem like it, but I really do like makeup," She told her.

"I can tell," Mari smirked, gesturing to her face as she pulled her into the store. "You do your makeup really good. I would recommend, however, to wear lighter lipstick. You're pretty pale."

October, who usually wore either a dark pink or red lipstick, frowned. "I like how it looks,"

"Your bestie, what's her name? Alice? She wears dark red lipstick too, huh?" Mari asked.

"Yeah, but mine isn't as dark, and besides, I think it looks great on her. She does it really good." October responded, crossing her arms as they entered the lipstick section. "Besides, she is thinking of going more for a nude color. Maybe one of the NYX lingerie colors would be nice."

Mari shook her head. "I'm telling you, you're a bit pale for it."

October rolled her eyes. "I can wear whatever I want. I think it looks good, and that's what matters," She sighed as she was swatching colors on her hand. "So, what do you think about the whole Ryder situation?"

Mari shrugged. "Honestly, right now, I'm a bit more concerned about this color than your brother," Seeing the look on October's face, she continued. "You know what I mean."

"Yeah, but still," October wiped the lipstick she had on off and put a more vibrant color on. "I can't focus on all of this makeup with everything that's going on,"

"October," Mari stopped and turned towards her. "You need to relax. You spend way too much time stressing about your brother and not about yourself. He's 17, and I think he's old enough to take care of himself in that sense."

October scoffed. "Well, I'm 18 and I don't think he is. I still have to remind him to do basic things. I mean, if I wasn't there, he'd probably just sleep and watch TV all day. He probably die, in all honesty. He takes medication and I always have to remind him about it."

Mari gave her a strange look. "What does he take meds for?"

October looked up, thinking for a moment. "Well, there's a few things, but I'm not sure if he'd want me to talk about it. He doesn't like seeming.. weak, I guess."

"But.. he's okay, right?"

She nodded. "Oh yeah, he's fine. He's pretty good at handling that stuff. Besides me reminding about the meds themselves, he's good at handling everything else like eating habits and stuff. The only times he really slips up is if he lets someone else get food or something for him."

Mari raised her eyebrows. "He has an eating disorder or something?"

"I wouldn't call it that," October said. "Just let him tell you. He doesn't really like to talk about it. The only reason he talks about it with me is because he has too, honestly."

"Hmm..." Mari hummed as she went back to looking through the makeup. She found a shade of lipstick she really liked and showed it to October. "So, what do you think?"

October looked it over and nodded. "It's good. I'd get it."

"Well, do you like anything?" Mari asked.

She nodded. "Oh yeah, I like this one," She picked up a magenta color.

Mari chuckled a bit. "You always go with lipstick colors that don't go with your skin tone," She shook her head. "What are we gonna do with you?"

October gave her an irritated, pursed lips smile. "Well, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, right? I like it, and I don't need your evaluation to pick out makeup. I do it by myself all the time." She crossed her arms on her chest, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

Mari put her hands up in defense. "Alright, sorry. Let's get out of here."

Just as she said that, their morphers got hot around their necks. "Damn it," October whispered. "Look we don't have enough time to stand in line. We have to put them back in come another time."

October put hers quickly back down while Mari whined. "Really?" She looked up at the ceiling before putting the lipstick back and running out of the store.

\- PRGG -

By the time October and Mari got to the battle, Luca and Aiden were already there. This time, there were no Titans, but the Hippalectryon was back and it seemed very angry.

It whinnied loudly and kicked Luca back with both of it's rooster legs, knocking him into a nearby building and demorphing him. Aiden quickly ran in to possibly help, but was charged at and rammed into, knocking him back hard into the ground, demorphing him as well.

"Luca!" Mari cried, running to his aid.

"Aiden!" October yelled, also running to help him.

October knelt down next to him as he groaned in pain. He gave her a small smirk. "I knew you liked me," He chuckled.

She rolled her eyes, but offered a small smile in response. "You're right, Aiden. I like you.. as a friend," She added.

"That's harsh," Aiden had a shocked looked on his face as she helped him sit behind a nearby car for safety. "I'm just cool with it because I know you'll admit your love for me soon enough."

October stood up and looked down at him. "I hope that works out for you," She stepped out in front of the car and pushed her power coin into her locket. "Guardians, Rise Up! Pink Guardian!"

After getting Luca to the other side of the building, Mari also morphed to join October. "Guardians, Rise Up! Yellow Guardian!"

They ran in just as Ryder showed up. He watched them fight for a moment, a bit unsure of how to approach this beast. He saw Mari get hit hard with the front horse hooves and he growled, seeing his sister near the monster.

"Guardians, Rise Up! Green Guardian!" He yelled, pulling out his sword and running in just as the monster threw out it's other hoof to demorph her as well. He quickly put his hand out, using his super strength to catch the hoof in his hand.

The Hippalectryon looked shocked as Ryder threw his hoof back, throwing the monster back as well, landing it on it's back.

He helped October up. "You were right," He said. "I'm sorry for the way the treated you. You're my big sister, and it was wrong of me to disrespect you like that."

She smiled. "It's okay. I understand why you were shocked and uncomfortable, but never, ever feel like you're a burden on me. Or that I don't want the responsibility. I love you, and I'll be there for you, alright?"

"I love you, sis," The two embraced as the monster got back up, standing on it's hind legs now, looking angrier than before. "You wanna finish this together?"

"Of course," She pulled out her sword as well.

October ran forward first, slashing right through with her finishing move, before he ran in with his. The Hippalectryon whinnied weakly one last time before falling over and exploding behind them.

The two demorphed as other rangers pushed themselves up to join them. "You guys did it," Mari exclaimed

"Always," October smirked, wrapping her arm around her brother's shoulders.

Aiden gestured to them. "You guys are good?"

Ryder nodded. "Always," He mocked, making October shove him away with a laugh.

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Guardians of the Galaxy:** October struggles to balance work and being a ranger.

 **Well, how did you like that moment between Mari and October? I know this chapter focused more on Ryder, but I decided to add a more mundane moment between the two girls on the team, especially since I haven't really focused much at all on Mari or Luca so far. Don't worry, though, their chapters are coming up!**

 **Also, about that scene, I was only putting those comments Mari made because I've heard a lot of statements that certain skin tones shouldn't wear certain colors, and I think that's so stupid. People should just wear what they want, and no one else needs to comment about it.**

 **Oh, and if you know where the quote October was saying is from, you're awesome!**

 **Anyways, I hope you liked the chapter, and I'll be back soon with the next one. I'll most likely update Animal Guardians first, but I'll be back very soon.**

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


	4. Ep 4: Juggling

**Here's the next chapter guys! I know I've been focusing a lot on Aiden, October, and Ryder, but the next two chapters after this will focus more on Luca and Mari!**

 **Also, to Ranger Red 2.0, I just wanted to let you know that Alice is actually Luca's girlfriend, not his sister and that unfortunately, I'm not looking for any characters right now. If I am, I'll let you know!**

 **Fred is portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio**

 **Robbie is portrayed by Jimmy Pinchak**

 **Jordyn is portrayed by Emma Watson**

* * *

"We can do this, guys!" Aiden called to the others as they fought Titans after practice at school. "We're almost done and then we can go home for the night!"

Mari kicked one away and glared towards the red ranger. "That doesn't help, Aiden!"

The red ranger cartwheeled to the side and punched one down. "Wow, so sorry I can't meet all of your needs, Mari! Just trying to be encouraging!"

"Guys, shush up!" Luca yelled as he threw a Titan in between the two as they faced each other. "We just have to get this over with and you two can get away from each other!"

Ryder was ignoring them as he watched his sister fight. She was a bit sluggish, but seemed like she was impatient with the timing. He kicked a Titan down and flipped over a group to be next to her.

"You okay?" He asked, shoving one to the ground.

She sighed, grabbing one and flipping it over hard. "Yeah, I'm just tired, and late,"

He frowned, kicking a Titan. "Late? For work?"

"Yeah," October nodded, ducking under a punch and tackling a group to the ground. "This is a hard schedule to fit things into. It's really difficult to make sure I'm at work and stay there these days,"

Ryder threw one to the side. "Don't worry, O, Fred thinks you're great. He won't fire you, if that's what's wrong."

"You don't know that," She stood up straight and took some deep breaths as she and the others finished off the rest of them. "If he does, we're in trouble, Ryder."

"I know," He nodded, putting an arm around her. "I'm sorry,"

October sighed and hugged him. "It's okay, little brother, I can handle it."

The others walked over to them, Aiden and Mari arguing on the way, with Luca trying to stand in the middle of them. "Enough," He held them apart. "It's not even that big of a deal! Yes, Aiden wasn't being necessarily helpful, Mari, but at least he was trying to be encouraging. Now both of you be quiet!"

Mari crossed her arms and faced away from them while Aiden rolled his eyes exasperatedly. "She's acting like a child!"

"And so are you for continuing the argument after it's done," Luca told him. "Look, it's over. We're all just tired and upset. Let's just go report to Liela and get home."

"Actually," October butted in. "I have to get to work. I'm late, so.. bye."

The others watched her run off as Mari frowned. "That girl does too much. I mean, does she really have to have a job right now?"

"Yes, she does," Ryder said, a bit coldly.

"Whoa, it's not a big deal, what's the problem?" Aiden asked, crossing his arms.

"Nothing," He responded, looking uncomfortable. "She's just working. Leave it alone."

He began to walk back to the command center, Mari, Luca, and Aiden on his heels.

 **\- Cue Opening -**

October ran into Fred's Frozen Yogurt, which is where she worked everyday after practice and every other weekend. She quickly ran to the back to put her uniform on, which consisted of a light pink shirt with the logo on it and an apron tied at her waist over her pants.

She began to walk out to the front when she saw her boss, Fred, standing there waiting for her. Fred wore a uniform similar to hers, and was about 6'0 with blonde hair, blue eyes, and pale skin. He was also unhappy with her.

"October, you're late," Fred stated. "What happened?"

"Umm..." She chuckled, feeling a bit nervous. She was worried he would fire her. "I'm sorry. I lost track of time."

He nodded. "Okay, what were you doing?"

October bit her lip. She knew she couldn't tell him the real reason she was late. She shrugged awkwardly. "I.. don't know."

"Come on, what's going on?" He asked, putting a hand on her shoulder. Fred used to be her father's best friend, and he was practically a second-father to not only her, but Ryder as well. "Is something going on at home? Are they hounding you and Ryder again? You know I could always take you guys in if you need it, right?"

She shook her head. "No, we're okay. You know I'd tell you if we weren't. I just.. I can't tell you."

"Are you sure? You know you can trust me," Fred said.

"I know," October gave him a smile. "I just.. can't talk about it. I'm sorry."

She walked past him and out behind the counter, where Alice was working at the register. "Hey, where were you?" Alice asked, ringing up a customer. "I've been covering for you for almost half an hour."

October grabbed some yogurt cups and sighed. "I'm sorry, I just got distracted. I can get Fred to let you off early, if you need."

Alice pulled another worker, Robbie, over to the register as she followed October, "No, it's fine. I was just wondering where you were. I mean, you may get to school late, but you never get to work late. Is something going on?"

The pink ranger sighed exasperatedly. "I'm fine, Alice. It's not that big of deal." Seeing the look on her best friend's face, she continued. "I'm sorry, I just don't wanna talk about it."

"Me neither," Alice crossed her arms as she walked back to the counter, allowing Robbie to get back to cleaning tables.

Robbie looked to October, noticing the color she usually wore, and the fact that there was just a ranger battle, making her late. He sighed, remembering his old friends, the Data Surge rangers, who had basically moved on with their lives. Now, don't get him wrong - he was glad his friends could finally move on and be happy with their lives, but he missed them.

He did know where they were, but he didn't want to bother them now. From what he heard, in the last year, River, Darry's girlfriend, had just found out she was pregnant, Nick and Sam moved in together, as did Renee and Austin, and Jordyn moved in with Zoe, who was thinking about getting married eventually.

What was Robbie doing? Working at a frozen yogurt shop, most likely with the second-in-command of the new power rangers.

He moved to the table closet to October and nodded at her in greeting. "Hey, October,"

She looked at him, a bit startled. "Oh, hey.. Robbie, right?"

"Yeah," He smiled awkwardly. "So.. your favorite color's pink, right?"

October chuckled. "I guess so, why?"

He shrugged. "Well, isn't that why you were late today?"

"Umm.. what?" She looked shocked. "What do you mean?"

Someone cleared their throat from behind Robbie. "Excuse my friend," A female voice said. "He's not very discreet with these things."

Robbie turned around to see Jordyn Stewart, the blue Data Surge ranger, standing behind him. She had short dirty blonde hair, brown eyes, pale skin, and was about 5'5.

"Jordyn?" He asked, startled at her appearance. "Oh my god, I haven't seen you in, like, 6 months."

She nodded. "Yeah, sorry about that. Zoe and I were just getting settled and stuff. Anyways, you must be October, the pink Guardians of the Galaxy ranger,"

October scoffed, trying to act like she didn't know anything. "Look, I'm sorry but I don't know what you're talking about," She finished putting all of the cups away. "I've gotta get back to work."

While she walked away, Jordyn sighed. "Liela told her not to say anything. She has to be her. There's no way she's not,"

"Jordyn, you're back," Robbie smiled. "You look great."

Jordyn pulled him in for a hug and laughed. "You look good too. Come on, let's catch up and see what happens."

Meanwhile, October walked back over behind the counter and began filling in the containers of toppings with more. "Who was that?" Alice asked, trying not to look at her in spite.

October shrugged, also not looking at her. "I don't know. Robbie's friend, I guess. They were asking me weird questions and stuff."

"Like what?" She asked.

"Just stuff like what I've been doing and all that crap," October shook her head. "I don't know what they could want." She looked towards the two suspiciously.

Alice chuckled. "Maybe they're cops. Did you do something illegal?"

"I think I would've told you before now if I did," She smirked. "Besides, they don't look like cops."

"That's true," Alice nodded. She gestured to the back, "Hey, I'm gonna go refill some of the yogurt, can you stay out here?"

"Yeah," October went over to the register as someone put a frozen yogurt cup on the scale. "You wanna guess the price?" She asked the person as she looked at the number.

When the person didn't respond, she looked up. "Oh, nice," Mel crossed her arms. "You actually don't mind looking at your customers."

October rolled her eyes. "Just guess the price or pay, and then get out. I don't want drama."

Mel feigned innocence. "What could you possibly mean? Jeez, you act like I've done something to you,"

"Please," October scoffed. She just wanted Mel to leave. "Do you want to guess the price, or not?"

After a moment, Mel shook her head. "No, here's the money," She handed her 10 dollars. "Keep the change, you seem like you need it."

October threw the money on the floor at her feet. "Actually, you guessed it right, so I don't need it."

Fred then had a hand on her shoulder. "Can I talk to you please?" Mel smirked as the owner pulled October to the back. "What just happened?"

"You know about Melissa," October said, looking down in shame. "Look, I'm just having a bad day."

"Hey," Fred put a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, we all have them. Just go home and get some rest, there's not that many people here. I'll make do without you for the night."

October frowned. "Are you sure? Fred, I don't wanna impose. I'm completely free..." She sighed when she felt her phone buzz in her pocket. "Or not."

Fred gave her her flannel and began to push her towards the door. "Go, do your thing. I'll see you tomorrow."

She went into the bathroom quickly before she left to change into her street clothes before walking out and checking her phone. It was a missed call from Aiden. She called him back.

" _Hello?"_ Aiden answered.

October chuckled. "Do you not have caller ID?"

 _"October!"_ Aiden exclaimed. _"Okay, listen before you yell."_

She frowned. "Excuse me?"

 _"Okay, so me, Ryder, and Luca decided to go hit up the field to play some football and I don't know exactly what happened, but we're at the hospital,"_ Aiden explained, making October's blood run cold. _"He seemed a bit out of it but said we should keep going and..."_

"I'll be right there," October hung up on him and ran to the car her parent's left her when they passed. "Damn it, Ryder." She muttered.

\- PRGG -

October parked the car before rushing through the emergency room doors, where she found Aiden waiting for her. "Where is he?" She asked, crossing her arms and taking a deep breath to calm herself.

Aiden put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, they just said he passed out because of dehydration and low blood sugar, which is easy to treat. The doctor said it's probably because he didn't eat anything today. They're looking him over one more time before anybody's allowed in."

She sighed as she plopped down in her chair. "Actually, it's the exact opposite. He took his meds and ate all the non-sugary stuff he could find."

"What do you mean?" Aiden frowned, sitting next to her.

"Well, he doesn't like to talk about it, but he has type-two diabetes. Basically, his body resists the insulin, I guess, and if he doesn't eat a proper amount everyday he could have either really high blood sugar or really low. I don't exactly know the whole story, but yeah." October explained.

Aiden chuckled, "Wow, October doesn't the whole story? This is a new one," He nudged her.

She laughed and shoved him playfully. "Shut up! I'm not a know-it-all."

"Oh, yeah. Okay," He said sarcastically, laughing with her.

October looked to him fondly. "Hey, Aiden, this might be a bit weird but I've actually really enjoyed hanging out with you lately. You're not as bad as I thought you were."

Aiden smiled at her. "Oh yeah? Well, you've always been as good as I thought you were. I mean, I didn't really know you very well, but you've always just had this.. thing about you that I've always liked."

She blushed. "Yeah?"

"Hey, guys," Suddenly, Luca interrupted them. "Ryder's getting released. He's at the desk,"

The two stood up, October making a beeline for the desk while Aiden sighed, looking to Luca. "You couldn't have given me one more minute?"

Luca smirked at him. "You really, really like her, don't you?"

"So much," Aiden nodded as the two walked over to the front desk, where Ryder was standing, leaning against the desk, while October signed him out.

She shook her head at him. "You need to be more responsible with this, Ryder."

He sighed. "I know, I'm sorry," Ryder told her.

After signing him out she hugged him tightly. "Don't do that again - you scared me," She whispered.

"I'll try," He nodded.

They pulled away and turned to see Aiden and Luca still waiting for them. "You guys need a ride home?" October asked. "We can drop you off on the way,"

Luca looked at Aiden before looked back to October. "I have a truck I'll drive back to my house with. Aiden might, though," He pushed him forwards.

Aiden glared at the blue ranger as he walked away before turned back to the siblings. October looked happy enough, but Ryder seemed a bit irritated.

"I'm sitting in the back, aren't I?" Ryder asked.

October shrugged. "Well, Aiden _is_ taller than you, and older."

\- PRGG -

Meanwhile, Jordyn and Robbie went to the command center, where they found Mason sitting on the couch, watching Dustlands. Jordyn scoffed. "You're just like Sam,"

Mason, startled, turned around to them. "Jordyn? Robbie? What are you two doing here?" He paused the show and stood up. "I didn't know you guys were coming around."

"Yeah, I didn't tell anyone, really," Jordyn responded, plopping down on the couch next to him, with Robbie sitting awkwardly on a chair nearby. "I came around to see how the new team was doing."

"They're good," Mason stated. "They already know how to use their powers."

Jordyn chuckled. "That's nice. I met the new second-in-command, October."

"Oh yeah? She's a really great ranger," Mason said. "She definitely deserves to be second,"

Jordyn smiled, "Yeah, she seems like it, but I think she's having a bit of trouble with the schedule."

Mason frowned at her. "Well, she's never been late to a battle before,"

"That's not what I mean," Jordyn rolled her eyes. "I mean, it's hard for her to deal with her other responsibilities as a ranger, and you know that's true."

Mason shrugged. "Well, does she really have a choice?"

"Well, does she have a choice about going to work or not? I was lucky enough to live here where I don't have to pay or anything. You don't know that she might have a reason for keeping a job she needs."

\- PRGG -

After they dropped Aiden off at his apartment, Ryder got into the front seat of the car and the two drove towards their own apartment. Ryder shook his head.

"You like him, don't you?" He asked, crossing his arms. "You like Aiden."

She gave him a strange look. "What are you talking about?"

Ryder gestured to her and back at Aiden's apartment building. "The way you guys talk and bond and stuff. You guys like each other."

"Ryder, did I ever say that?" October asked. "No. Sorry that I have a friend that you don't like. And, even if I did like Aiden, would it really make a difference? You like Mel, and I don't like her."

He shook his head again. "That's different."

"Oh yeah? How so?" October scoffed. "You're being a hypocrite."

"No, I'm not!" Ryder exclaimed. "You can't like Aiden. He's a total ass! He always talks about you, you know that? It's weird."

October smirked. "He always talks about me? Really?"

Ryder groaned. "Listen, I forbid this."

She chuckled. "You can't forbid me to do anything. First of all, I'm older than you, and second of all, I tried to forbid you to date Mel, but you didn't care."

"Mel is completely different than Aiden," Ryder argued.

October nodded. "I'll agree with you on that one. Aiden is actually a good person, who I may or may not like. Mel is a bitch who I really, really don't like."

"Okay, well, _Aiden_ is a bitch who _I_ really, really don't like." Ryder retorted.

As she parked in their complex's parking lot, October shook her head. "I'm telling you, you're being hypocritical. Just today, Mel threw ten dollars at me and told me I looked like I needed it." She said, stepping out of the car.

Ryder stepped out as well. "Do you?"

"Ryder!" She scolded. "No, I don't need it! That was so rude. I was just trying to work."

He frowned at her. "Speaking of work, why aren't you there?"

"Because you were in the hospital, sorry, Ryder. Next time I'll just leave you there," October rolled her eyes, stepping into the elevator along with him.

"Well, you had time to change out of your uniform before you showed up. Obviously, you got off of work before that," Ryder pointed out.

She sighed. "Fred told me to take some time off to rest today, which I'm glad he did," She said, walking down the hall to their door.

"Why?" Ryder looked her over. "Are you okay?"

October unlocked the door and nodded. "Yeah, this is just hard to keep up with, you know. I can't keep being late to work. I know Fred will fire me. If he fires me, it's over, and you know it."

Ryder sighed. "October, it'll be fine. I'm 17. What are they gonna do with me?"

"Legally remove you from my household and take you to a foster home until you turn 18," October muttered, putting her things down and sitting on the couch with her hands on her head. "This is just a hurdle to jump over. I'll get through it, I promise."

"Can I help you?"

"No," October shook her head. "I can handle it. It'll be fine."

\- PRGG -

The next day, after practice, October arrived at work, dressed and ready to do her job. She saw Alice putting her apron on from behind the counter, and saw Robbie sitting at a table with Jordyn.

She frowned and walked over to them. "Why are you here again?" October asked, looking at Jordyn suspiciously. "Are you watching me or something? Do you work for Saturn?"

Jordyn put her hands up. "I definitely don't work for Saturn. I'm a..." She was cut off when screaming was heard from outside.

"What's going on?" Fred asked as he walked out from the back to see people running inside as a monster chased them. The monster was an Onocentaur, which was a creature with the upper half of a man and the lower half of a donkey. It stood completely on it's hind legs and yelled at people to run with Titans everywhere as well. "Oh my god," Fred waved people to the back, but Robbie, Jordyn, Alice, and October stayed where they were.

"What is that?!" Alice exclaimed. "That cannot be real!"

October began to try to push her to the back, "Unfortunately it is,"

Alice grabbed her arm to pull her with her, but October pulled away. "I'll handle it,"

"Let the power rangers handle it!" Alice exclaimed.

October, seeing that everyone was too distracted to here her, nodded. "That's exactly what I'm doing," She whispered, making Alice's eyes widen in realization. "Go to the back, now."

As Alice ran back there, Jordyn and Robbie stood up. Fred also watched from a bit away. October got into a fighting stance against the two. "Who are you?" She demanded.

Jordyn held her hand up and turned it partially invisible. "I'm the blue Data Surge power ranger. That's how I know about you. I'm not here hurt anybody, but that monster is."

October stared in shock, before standing up normally. "I'm sorry, Jordyn. I just.. I'm gonna fight the monster."

"You'll do great," Jordyn reassured her. "I'll protect the shop."

"Thanks,"

October ran outside and flipped over a group of Titans to get to the Onocentaur head on. She saw the other rangers running to the parking lot as she kicked the monster back.

"You okay?" Aiden asked as Mari, Luca, and Ryder went for the Titans.

She nodded. "Yeah, I barely just got here."

He chuckled and gestured to the monster. "You need a little help?"

"I think I can handle that," October smirked.

While they ran at the Onocentaur, the others fought the Titans around them.

Mari ran up and jumped onto a table, kicking one away. She ran down the chair nearby, knocking it down and flipped over, knocking multiple of them down in the process. She punched one and ducked under a hit from another.

"These Titans are just too easy!" Mari smirked, grabbing the spears of two different Titans and impaling both of them with the other's weapon.

Luca swung on the branch of a tree to kick a few away. "You're complete right!" He agreed, punching a Titan in the face and using it's body as a weapon against the other Titans surrounding him. He ducked when a spear came at his head ad knocked the feet out from under the footsoldier.

Ryder jumped out of the way of a spear by jumping onto a car and grabbing the spear right behind the tip. The Titan tried to pull it back, but Ryder pulled the Titan and the spear away and flipped it onto the ground. He held the spear in hand and began to stab at other Titans from his position on top of the car.

Aiden and October were knocked away by the really strong hands of the Onocentaur. The two stood up again.

"Ready?" Aiden asked.

"Ready," October said as the others nodded from their spots fighting the Titans.

"Guardians, Rise Up!"

"Red Guardian!"

"Pink Guardian!"

"Green Guardian!"

"Blue Guardian!"

"Yellow Guardian!"

Now armed with extra power, Aiden and October ran at the monster. Aiden blocked a punch with his right arm and punched the Onocentaur in the gut with his left, holding the Onocentaur's arm while October kicked it's head back.

The monster huffed and shoved them away with his feet as he flipped back up from the ground. "You will not take me down," He growled. "I refuse!"

Aiden got back up with his sword and stabbed it at the creature, but the Onocentaur grabbed his sword by the hilt and ripped it out of his hand. He grabbed Aiden with superhuman strength and lifted him into the air by his neck.

He choked against the hold and October growled as she saw this. She grabbed her blaster from her side and blasted the hand of the monster, making it drop the red ranger and hold his hand in pain.

Before October could get to him, the Onocentaur, angry as ever, kicked Aiden in the jaw, making him demorph and fly back into a nearby car.

"No!" October exclaimed.

The Onocentaur laughed from above her, and October quickly blasted him again, feeling a sudden burst of rage.

"You'll never defeat me!" He screamed defiantly.

"Really?" October asked, pulling her sword out and running forward. "Because I think I will!"

She ran through the monster with her sword, pushing through him trying to hold her back. As the Onocentaur cried out in pain and sparked all over his body, October ran back once more and slashed her sword again, making him explode behind her.

October took a deep breath and looked up to see her brother staring at her, and she looked down awkwardly. She knew how Ryder felt about Aiden.

"Are you alright?" She asked as she walked over to Aiden and helped him up as she demorphed.

He stumbled a bit but gave her a confident smirk. "I'm good. Thanks for saving me. It means a lot," He put a hand on her shoulder.

She looked over to see her brother and the others looking at them, and shrugged his hand off slightly. "It was nothing," She whispered. "No problem."

Aiden was a bit hurt as she walked away towards Fred's to see if everyone was okay. Jordyn gave her a nod. "Good job, but not with your red ranger. You don't have to conform to others around you, October," Jordyn patted her on the shoulder. "Just think about what you've done."

October sighed as Jordyn said her goodbyes to Robbie and left. She met Alice next as people flooded out of the back room to get back to what they were doing before the monster attack.

"You're amazing," Alice told her, smiling. "You just saved us."

She smiled back, half-heartedly. "It's all in a days work, I guess,"

Alice looked past her at Aiden, who was looking at October in disappointment. "What did you do to him?"

October looked back at him and then back at Alice. "You know how Ryder and Aiden don't really like each other."

"More or less, but that's not the point. You obviously have some kind of feelings for him, and anyways, Ryder's dating Mel and you don't like her." Alice pointed out. "Why do you care what your little brother thinks about your future boyfriends anyways?"

She shrugged. "I just don't want to Ryder to think that I'm just doing this because I'm upset with him and Mel. Besides that, how do you even know I like Aiden?"

"It's obvious, just go for it." Alice pushed her towards the door when Fred stopped them.

"October," Fred said, looking at her in shock. "I completely understand it. Don't worry about leaving or being late. You're always welcome to work here."

October smiled at him. "Thanks, Fred." She looked to both of them seriously. "Now, you can't tell anyone anything, alright?" They both nodded. "Good,"

"Now," Alice continued to push her. "Go talk to Aiden."

The pink ranger chuckled and went outside. She tapped Aiden on the shoulder, who turned around to smile at her. "Hey, what's up?"

She shrugged. "I... I don't know."

"Is everything alright?" Aiden asked.

October almost said what she came outside to say, but decided against it. She was nervous, and worried about what Aiden would say. "Yeah, it's fine. I just want to say that you did good in that fight."

Aiden rubbed his chin and smirked. "Oh yeah, I did a great job," He said sarcastically, laughing.

She continued to talk as he admired her. He thought she was an amazing person, but he was too nervous about what she would say if he asked her to go out on a date with him.

He decided to just let her continue talking and he would wait for another time to make a move.

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Guardians of the Galaxy:** Luca's cousin comes to visit and doesn't like the way the US is changing him.

 **Sorry it took a week to get this out. I was working on the Fear Factor arc of Animal Guardians, and I got a bit distracted from this story. You guys can go check that out if you'd like - the next chapter is going up in a day or so.**

 **Anyways, I'd like to thank you all for the support you give my story, and I hope to read some of your reviews in the morning! Getting reviews always encourages me to write more!**

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


	5. Ep 5: Kiwi

**Hey guys! So, this chapter will contain references to New Zealand culture and slang, and, as I'm not from there, I got most of my references on the internet. I apologize for any mistakes I made, and feel free to let me know if I did anything wrong.**

 **By the way, all slang will be translated at the bottom.**

 **Gaia Johnson (Luca's mother) is portrayed by Kate Winslet**

 **Eliza is portrayed by Elena Satine**

* * *

Late at night, a young man and woman were out on a boat in the ocean. The boat was quite nice, and was big enough to fit more people.

"Are you sure we won't get in trouble for this?" She asked, looking at be about 17. She had long, auburn hair, green eyes, and lightly tanned skin. "Liam, I really don't want to get caught."

Liam gave her a smirk. He was almost 19. "We'll be fine, Eliza," He assured her. "My dad's not gonna find out. He's too busy with his girlfriend to realize his boat's gone."

Eliza had a shy smile, "I've never done anything like this before. I'm kinda nervous."

He nudged her. "You'll do great, I promise," Liam touched her waist. "I mean, with a body like this, how could you not do good?"

"Okay," She grabbed the hem of her shirt and slowly pulled it off. He did the same with his shirt. She touched the button on her jeans. "This next, right?"

Liam nodded. "Yeah. You know what to do."

She unbuttoned her jeans and pulled them down, him doing the same again. They were both in their underwear now, looking each other over.

"I like what I'm seeing," Liam traced his hand over her bare body lightly. "I think I should see more, though."

Eliza put her arms around her body. "I don't know, Liam. This is weird to me. I'm uncomfortable."

"Come on. You always said you wanted your first time to be special, right? I know you've always had a crush on me, so let's just get to it." Liam said, seeming a bit angry.

"Okay," She said after a moment, ducking her head down in shame as she reached back to unhook her bra.

Suddenly, the boat rocked. Since the water was calm at the moment, both teens looked around, a bit startled. "What was that?" Eliza asked fearfully. "I thought no one else was out here."

"No one is supposed to be," Liam looked over the side of the boat.

Just then, a giant creature launched itself out of the water and grabbed Liam in it's toothless mouth, crushing him and pulling him underwater with it, also destroying part of the boat in the process.

Eliza screamed in horror and ran down into the inside of the boat, looking around for some kind of weapon to defend herself. She discovered a fire extinguisher and grabbed it as she ran back out onto the deck.

"Come at me, you monster," She growled, holding the nozzle of fire extinguisher out after pulling the clip off.

The creature launched back out of the water, it's mouth covered in blood. Eliza shot the monster back with the liquid from the device. It held it back for a moment before she threw it at the monster.

Eliza put her hands out at the water, and suddenly, water began to rise in tendrils out of the ocean. She then quickly moved her hands towards the creature, making the water shoot towards it, knocking it back hard.

She ran up to the steering wheel of the boat and started it back up. She grabbed the radio near by. "SOS, SOS!" She called. "This is Eliza James on William Swift's boat. We've been attacked by a... creature of some sort. William is gone; I'm coming back to the coast."

 **\- Cue Opening -**

Luca sat down at the table with a sigh. He was alone today since Alice was out sick, but at least he could still hang out with the rangers, whom he had come to consider as friends over the time they had known each other.

"What's wrong with you?" Mari nudged him. "You look sad."

He shook his head. "No, the only thing that's bothering me is that Alice isn't here. Besides that, I'm great."

Aiden smirked. "Great, huh?" He asked. "What's so great?"

"My cousin Quinn is coming to town to visit," Luca smiled.

"Ooh, is she hot?" Aiden questioned.

" _He_ ," Luca emphasized, making Aiden make a face and Mari laugh at him. "Is not your type. Anyways, this is the first time he's ever been to the states, and I'm pretty excited."

October and Ryder sat down at the table, the former holding a newspaper in hand along with her lunch. "Hopefully he's not coming by boat," She put her lunch down and smacked the newspaper on the table, pointing to the article. "A 'sea monster' attacked two people on a boat in the ocean the other day. One of the them, William Swift, was crushed by it's jaws before being dragged underwater and swallowed."

"What about the other person?" Aiden asked, looking over the article.

Ryder vaguely gestured behind them. "Over there,"

Mari looked past him at her. The girl was pretty, and wore a casual blue skater dress with brown sandals. "Who is that?"

"Eliza James," October responded. "She said she found a fire extinguisher and used it to make the monster retreat. When the monster attacked, they were about to have sex on his father's boat,"

Aiden raised an eyebrow. "Really? I remember Liam, he used to be on the football team before he graduated last year. A few girls said he forced them into having sex by either yelling at them or making them feel bad for not doing it."

October nodded. "I know, and I also know Eliza. She's not the type to do stuff like that. She's a really nice person, on the swim team, good grades - a pretty straight forward goody-two-shoes. I'm pretty sure she's a virgin, too."

"Hey, she might've wanted it," Mari suggested. "You never know."

As the group looked back at her, they saw her sky away from one of her guy friends trying to hug her. "Probably not," Ryder rolled his eyes.

"Well, good thing my cousin isn't coming on a boat," Luca muttered. "He's coming in on a plane today. My mom's picking me up after school to go get him from the airport."

"What's he like?" October asked, turning back to him for a lighter conversation.

Luca smiled. "He's great. Back in NZ we basically grew up together. We used to play rugby and ride our horses. He was my best mate."

Mari frowned. "What's rugby? Is that some kind of Australian thing?"

He gave her a look. "It's a kind of.. football, and no it isn't. By the way, you know I'm from New Zealand, not Australia, right?"

"What's the difference?"

Luca rolled his eyes. "Well, for starters, there are no deserts or snakes in New Zealand. Besides that, the culture is just different."

Mari raised her eyebrows. "There are no snakes there? Oh my god, I need to move there. I hate snakes. They're all slimy and gross."

"Okay," Luca nodded slowly. "Anyways, I haven't seen him in almost 2 years, so this is great. I really can't wait."

\- PRGG -

Saturn sat in his throne room, his arms crossed as he tapped his foot impatiently on the ground. He looked around the room, and sighed.

"Polus," He called, causing the hunchbacked monster to look up. "Do you have a creature for me to send at the rangers yet?"

Polus stopped typing on his typewriter. "Actually, master, a creature is already out in the open. Your wife left me the information."

Saturn raised one eyebrow lazily. "Oh? What creature?"

"From the definition I got, it seems to be a Skolopendra," He pursed his gray lips. "This could be bad, sir."

Saturn nodded. "I know," He growled, sitting up straighter. "The Skolopendra is reckless and on the side of nobody. It can and will cause trouble."

"What should we do about it, master?"

"Let's wait and see if the rangers can handle it," Saturn decided. "If not, we'll send Iapetus to destroy it, and give those pesky rangers a warning to stay out of it,"

Polus was about to go back to typing when he sighed. "I doubt they'll give the warning much heed. Demigods tend to be annoying, and, if history repeats itself, they will continue to fight until they're stopped."

Saturn stood up angrily and slammed his fist on his chair. "History will _NOT_ repeat itself!" He yelled, shaking with fury. Polus cowered from the angry god and continued to type as Saturn sat back down heavily and called for Iapetus.

"Yes, master?" Iapetus asked, coming into the room.

"When the rangers go to fight the Skolopendra, and I know they will, I want you to go and destroy it with them once they have trouble, which I also know they will," Saturn said.

Iapetus frowned. "Master, why would we help the Power Rangers?"

"Because, you're going to make them understand that they have no business in meddling in our affairs. Whether they listen or not, we're going to keep doing what we can to take over, and we will kill them in the process," Saturn growled.

The general bowed his head at Saturn. "As you request, my liege."

\- PRGG -

Luca was waiting outside of the airport with his mother, Gaia, for his cousin to arrive. Gaia Johnson was Luca's single mother who had moved them to the states for better opportunities and a new life. She looked very much like her son, with blonde hair, blue eyes, and pale skin. She was a bit shorter than him, standing at about 5'7.

"Do you think he's late?" Luca asked. "I hope he's not late."

Gaia chuckled and put a hand on her son's shoulder. "Luca, he'll be here. The plane landed 15 minutes ago. Let him get his bags and things."

Luca smiled. "I'm just really excited."

"I know," Gaia nodded. "He's here. He'll see to us soon."

"Sooner than you think," A voice said from behind them, startling them both. Behind them was Quinn, a tall male with handsome features, brown hair, hazel eyes, and tan skin. Luca immediately turned around and rushed forwards to hug his cousin, who hugged him back tightly. "Nice to see you again, mate."

"Same," Luca pulled away and picked up one of Quinn's bags for him. "Here, I'll put it in the back for you,"

Gaia watched Luca put Quinn's bags in the back as her nephew came up to give her a hug. "Gidday, Aunt Gaia." He said.

"Gidday," She responded with a smile as they pulled away. "It's nice to here someone use our slang around here,"

Quinn frowned. "Eh? You have Luca around,"

Gaia shrugged. "Luca speaks like an American with our accent. Not that I have a problem with that, considering I've been doing the same thing."

"You don't have a problem with that?" Quinn crossed his arms. "That's our heritage," He shook his head. "What's next? Are we gonna have fish and chips for dinner?" He rolled his eyes.

Gaia looked at him sheepishly, making Quinn sigh in exasperation. "Great."

\- PRGG -

"So, are we gonna interview her? See what she knows?" Ryder asked as he, Aiden, October, and Mari watched Eliza reading in the library. "I think we should."

October held him back. "I think Mari and I should go. She seems a bit uncomfortable with guys right now."

Aiden and Ryder frowned. "Really?" Aiden asked.

"Yeah," October shoved them away. "Go sit over by the front. We'll be back."

The two guys went to sit on a bench near the entrance to the library while October and Mari approached and sat down at Eliza's table, which was empty besides her. Eliza looked up and chuckled.

"Hello, who are you?" Eliza looked over both of them.

October smiled. "I'm October, and this is Marissa. We were wondering about what happened to you last night. You seem pretty calm about it," Mari looked her over and noticed a watery-looking aura surrounding her. October noticed it as well.

"What's that around you?" Mari asked.

Eliza narrowed her eyes at the two. "You're demigods, right? You have to be if you can see the aura me."

Mari and October exchanged looks before looking back at her. "What are you talking about?" October chuckled, trying not to be obvious.

Eliza rolled her eyes. "I can see it around you too." She gestured to October. "You have a pink, glittery aura. You're the daughter of Venus. You," She then gestured to Mari. "Have a fiery aura, and it kind of reminds you of warmth and home. You're the daughter of Vesta."

"How do you know that?" October asked, keeping her voice low.

"Because, I'm a demigod too," Eliza responded, smiling. "It's really nice to finally meet you two. I've heard about you before. You guys are legends on Olympus, and have been for years."

Mari frowned. "Years? We've only been rangers for a month or so."

Eliza nodded. "Yeah, everyone knows that. What I mean is that you five have been told to be the demigods that are fighting to defeat Saturn once and for all. We basically all train to hopefully be like you guys." Eliza pursed her lips. "Actually, not all of you, and not just the ones that are already rangers."

"Wait," October put her hand up to stop her from talking. "What are you talking about? There are no more rangers than just us. Are we gonna get more? And what do you mean by 'not all of us?'"

Eliza gave her a confused look. "You don't know?" She looked between the two, before looking at Mari specifically. "Well, I can't say. I've overstepped my bounds a bit, unfortunately." She shook her head a bit. "Either way, the creature that attack us on the boat was a Skolopendra."

"A what?"

"Skolopendra," Eliza repeated, a bit slower this time. "A giant sea monster. It doesn't have any weapons besides it's large size, but it will crush you with it's toothless mouth and eat you. I used the water against it, but I don't think that helped much besides getting to leave me alone for the moment."

October frowned. "How did you use the water against it?"

"I guess I forgot to fully introduce myself. I'm the daughter of Neptune, the sea god." Eliza said.

Mari raised her eyebrows in surprise. "That's Luca's father."

October nodded. "You're his half-sister."

"I guess so," Eliza smiled. "Now, here's how you destroy the Skolopendra,"

\- PRGG -

Luca, Quinn, and Gaia sat at the dinner table, eating their dinner in an awkward atmosphere.

"So, Luca," Quinn started. "How's college for you?"

The blue ranger gave him a confused look. " _High school_ is good," He said, emphasizing the words 'high school.' "You're the one in college."

Quinn frowned. "Eh? Are you talking about the varsity?"

"Yeah," Luca nodded slowly. "You didn't know that?"

Quinn gritted his teeth a bit angrily and gestured to the table. "Can you pass me the tomato sauce?" He pointed at the ketchup. Luca passed it to him. "Ta. At least this doesn't have a new name."

"It's technically called ketchup, you know," Luca pointed out.

"Is it, now?" Quinn asked, putting it back on the table. "I've always called it tomato sauce, and so did you."

Luca frowned, noticing his cousin getting a bit angry. "What's wrong, Quinn?"

"Well, it just seems that everything is different now," Quinn crossed his arms. Gaia sighed and put her food down to listen to Quinn. "You're just a simple American now. You don't care about your roots. In less than two years, you've changed completely! I don't even know you anymore! I reckon if you would've stayed in NZ, you would've been a completely different person now." He stood up angrily and gestured to Gaia. "This is your fault. You moved him here, and now he's a total prick who forgot everything!"

Quinn threw his napkin down and stormed off to the guest room, leaving Luca and Gaia in shock. "What was that about?" Luca asked as his mother sighed and began to clean up the table.

"Quinn's angry that everything has changed since we've moved," Gaia explained, not looking up at her son.

"We haven't changed," Luca crossed his arms. "He's changed!"

Gaia sighed. "Actually, Luca, he's right. We have changed. We don't do anything like we used to."

Luca stood up and shook his head. He grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair. "I'm leaving."

"Luca," Gaia tried to stop him but he shrugged her off and stormed out of his house.

The blue ranger walked away from his house angrily, not noticing that the ground where he walked was beginning to get wet. Luca walked all the way down to the pier and sat on the edge, looking off into the ocean with a sigh.

The ocean tended to calm him down when he was upset. He thought that this was probably because of his parentage, and looked up at the sky.

"You brought me here for a reason, didn't you?" He whispered. "You brought me here to fight for the world, and I can't tell anybody about it. People are just gonna hate me for it, huh?"

"People will hate you for a lot of reasons," A voice said from behind him. It was Eliza, who walked up and sat next to him on the end of the pier, their feet dangling above the water.

Luca frowned at her sudden appearance. "Eliza? What are you doing here?"

Eliza smiled. "I figured you could use a pep talk. Dad told me you were upset, and I figured you'd be here."

"Dad?" Luca stared at her in shock for a moment. "Who are you talking about?"

Eliza chuckled. "Neptune. Our father. You know, just because you're a legend and I'm not doesn't mean that there aren't any others."

Luca looked her over. "Wait a minute, you're my half-sister?"

She nodded. "Yep. Pretty crazy, huh? Either way, what's going on? It doesn't take a god to notice that something's wrong."

"My cousin, Quinn, came to town and he's furious. He's claiming I've changed," Luca shook his head. "I can't believe it. I've been waiting two years to see him and now he hates me."

Eliza put a hand on his shoulder. "He probably doesn't hate you. He just needs to get used to it. Anybody moving thousands upon thousands of miles away would be different, and, anybody doing what you're doing would be different. Do you think you've changed?"

He sighed. "Maybe. I don't know, honestly. A lot has happened since I was in New Zealand. Sometimes I find myself even forgetting everything I had back there. I had friends, a ranch, all of my family, and it's my home. I mean, I love it here, but it's different."

"Different isn't a bad thing. And, guess what? You have friends, a ranch, a home, and you have family here. You have your mom, and you have me. Not only that, but you have the other rangers. Even if everyone in your family turns on you, we'll be there for you." Eliza told him.

Luca smiled at her. "That means a lot, thank you." The two embraced as the water began to get disturbed. They both stood up and looked off of the pier. "What is that?" He asked, seeing a shadow under the water.

Eliza put a hand on his chest and began to push him back with her. "That's the Skolopendra. We need to run. Now."

The two turned around and began to sprint back as the Skolopendra launched itself out of the water and slammed down on the pier, making it collapse under their feet. Eliza and Luca tried to jump out of the way but were knocked in the water with it.

"Luca!" The other rangers ran to the scene, having heard from Liela that the Skolopendra was spotted in the water again.

Aiden and Ryder held October and Mari back. "We'll get him, you watch our backs," Aiden ordered, letting them go as the two dived into the water.

"Ready?" October asked.

"Ready," Mari nodded.

"Guardians, Rise Up!"

"Pink Guardian!"

"Yellow Guardian!"

The girls pulled out their blasters and pointed it at the water, making sure to watch carefully in case something happened. Suddenly, however, they were surrounded by Titans.

"I thought Liela said the Skolopendra wasn't controlled by Saturn!" Mari exclaimed as she ducked under an attack from a group surrounding her.

October kicked one down and shot another one behind her. "It's not," She called back to her, jumping back from a spear coming at her chest. "These Titans shouldn't be here!"

Iapetus watched them from afar as the girls fought against the Titans, but nothing was happening in the water.

Mari flipped over a few Titans and kicked them down in the process. She jumped up to avoid getting swept to the ground and blasted it away. She was hit from the side, but turned and punched the footsolider back.

"You guys aren't that hard," She commented, kicking one in the head to send it flying.

October grabbed a spear that launched out at her and pulled it forward, making the Titan flip over onto the ground. She took her dagger off of her belt and stabbed it into the chest of one coming at her. A Titan punched towards her, and she grabbed it's arm, using it as a weapon against the others around by knocking it into the group trying to surround her.

She smirked, blasting one that was running towards her. "Are you guys even trying?"

Suddenly, Aiden and Ryder were smacked out of the water and landed hard in the sand nearby.

"Aiden! Ryder!" October cried, running towards them while Eliza was also thrown out of the water, Mari running to go help her. Luca had yet to appear.

Eliza looked at Mari, who had knelt down next to her. "Luca's still in there!" She exclaimed.

October looked over, hearing what she said. She looked to Aiden and Ryder, who were coughing up water. "Is Luca okay?"

"We didn't get him," Aiden said hoarsely.

Meanwhile, Luca took in a deep breath and immediately tried to cough water out. He opened his eyes and looked around, realizing he was under water, and that he was breathing. He probably would've been dead if he wasn't his father's son.

 _Thank you dad,_ He thought as he looked around. It was dark but he could see the outlines of various figures around him, including the Skolopendra. It was swimming at him at a very high speed and Luca immediately swam to the side as it rushed past him, though this didn't stop the creature from grabbing him with it's millipede-like legs.

Luca struggled against the tough grasp of the Skolopendra, and ended up jamming his fist into the creature's gills, making it emit a loud screech and drop him. He held onto the flap of said gill, and whipped himself up to the top of the monster, grabbing ahold of the gill flap on the other side. He pulled back, making the Skolopendra's head lean back and stopped the creature from moving any further.

He looked up, seeing the surface of the water not too far away. He pulled the flaps back even harder, making the Skolopendra screech again and swim quickly towards the surface of the water.

The other rangers were looking out into the ocean, hoping to see some kind of life, when, out of nowhere, the Skolopendra flew out of the surface of the water. On top of the creature, was Luca, riding it like a horse.

"It's Luca!" Mari cried out, pointing at him.

"He's alive? How?" Aiden stared in shock.

Eliza smiled. "He's strong, that's how."

Luca steered the Skolopendra deep down towards the floor of the ocean. He began to feel lightheaded from the pressure and pulled a pocketknife out of his pocket. He shoved it deep into the gill of the Skolopendra, sending it rushing even faster towards the bottom of the ocean.

Luca had to let go, feeling the high pressure weighing down hard on his body, and saw the Skolopendra dive even deeper until he saw waves burst up extremely hard from the bottom of the ocean, where he saw through the waves that the Skolopendra had hit the floor and imploded from the pressure on it's body.

The waves came up fast, and carried Luca back to the surface. From the surface, he looked back towards the beach, where all of his friends were waiting for him and calling his name. He smiled and swam towards the beach.

When he got to the sand, Eliza ran over and took his hand to pull him out of the water completely. "You did it." She hugged him.

He chuckled. "It wasn't easy, but I remembered what you said. You and the others will always be here for me, and I knew that, if something happened, you come to help me."

"But you didn't need it," She smiled. "You were amazing."

Iapetus watched them in horror. He didn't know that a teenager could take out the Skolopendra. It was a being that was actually quite hard to defeat, yet this teenager had defeated it with little effort

The general jumped down from his position on the cliff above them, attracting their attention. "Another one?" October asked, crossing her arms. "Just because you're bigger than usual doesn't mean that we can't destroy you just as easily."

October pulled her sword out an ran at the monster, not hearing Eliza's warning shout in time as her sword was ripped out of her grasp and thrown to the side before she was lifted up by the throat and slammed against the wall of the cliff above.

"I'm not a normal Titan," He growled. "I am Iapetus, Titan general under the god Saturn."

"Let her go," A growl was heard from behind him and he turned to see the other four rangers behind him, Eliza standing off a safe distance.

Iapetus laughed and shot a blast out of his hands at Mari and Luca, before turning on Ryder and Aiden.

Aiden jumped over a blast from him and punched him hard in the chest, only to have the general laugh at him. The general kicked Aiden away and threw October at him, who had demorphed and was nearly unconscious from the lack of air at this point.

Ryder stabbed his spear at Iapetus, who grabbed it behind the tip. Ryder tried to use his superhuman strength to pull it back when Iapetus took out his own sword with his free hand and hit him hard in the arm, sending him off to the side and losing his spear in the process. He had demorphed and hissed in pain and looked down at his inner arm to see he was bleeding heavily.

Mari got up from the ground and tried to run at him but Iapetus barely paid her any mind. "Oh please, yellow ranger, you're not worth my time." Iapetus smacked her away hard, sending her flying into the ocean near Eliza, who pulled her out after she demorphed.

Luca stood up and ran in front of Iapetus. He put his hands out towards the ocean and pulled water towards him. He suddenly shot it out at the general, who caught it in an ball in his hands, shocking Luca. The ball collected energy around it, and began to spark in his hands. He shot it back at the blue ranger, making him demorph from the energy sparks.

Aiden took a deep breath and stood in front of Iapetus, who looked him up and down. "Is it your turn, red ranger? Son of the king of the gods, Jupiter. How could he make such a disappointment?"

"Leave us alone!" Aiden demanded. "Leave them alone! Take what you want from me but leave my team alone!"

Iapetus chuckled. "All in due time, demigod. For now, I leave you with a warning," He walked forwards and blasted him into the ground, demorphing him. Iapetus went to stand over him and shook his head. "Stop fighting Saturn. You'll never win. If you keep this up, our army will personally see to your destruction."

The general backed away and disappeared into thin air. Aiden sat up painfully and looked around. Eliza had helped up Mari and Luca, the latter of which was still feeling the electric shock every few minutes or so. October had regained her bearings and crawled over to her brother, holding his wound tightly to stem the blood flow.

October met his gaze and gave him a sympathetic one in return. He sighed and forced himself up.

\- PRGG -

Later, after he had gotten looked at by Mason, Aiden was sitting up on the roof of the command center, dangling his feet over the edge, and looked off towards the now calm ocean.

He heard a door open and close and heard footsteps stop behind him. "Hey," It was October. "Can I join you?"

Aiden nodded. "Yeah."

October sat down next to him, shoulders touching and feet right next to each other. "Are you okay?"

He shrugged. "I can't stop thinking about Iapetus."

"I know," October nodded. "He's powerful."

"Not just that," He looked to her, looking close to tears. "I don't know if we can win this anymore. He's right, you know? My father did make a disappointment. Me."

She put a hand on his shoulder, suddenly looking angry at him. "You're so, very wrong, Aiden. You're amazing. You know what you did today? You tried to sacrifice yourself to save us. You told that monster to leave us alone at the expense of yourself. The old Aiden never would've done that. I mean, I think you've changed so much, and I'm really happy you did."

"Really?" He asked, a small smile gracing his lips, even if he looked melancholy as well.

October nodded. "Of course. Never think that Jupiter made a mistake with you, because I know he made the right choice. There isn't a doubt in my mind about that."

Aiden took a deep breath and looked off at the ocean again. "That means the world to me, I hope you know that. You're one of the best things that has ever happened to me, honestly."

She turned to him quickly with a shocked look on her face. "No joke?"

"Never," Aiden shook his head.

October smiled brightly and leaned towards him for a hug. Aiden was a bit startled by this hug, but immediately wrapped his arm around her, the two of them staring in the distance.

She then pulled away and looked at him. "Why?" She asked.

"Why what?"

October shrugged. "What makes me so amazing to you?"

He smiled. "Everything about you. Your smile, your laugh, the way you handle things so strongly, the way care for others," He reached up and tucked a loose hair behind her ear, and she let him. "Everything I find out about you makes you even more beautiful than you already are."

"Then why haven't you...?" She was cut off when the door opened and Ryder poked his head out. "Yeah?" She asked.

"Uhh.. I was just gonna ask when we were going home?" Ryder looked between them uncomfortably. "Am I interrupting something?"

Aiden looked over at her and sighed. "No," He looked down as she looked to him, a bit hurt.

She looked up at Ryder and stood. "We're going now," October looked back at Aiden and shook her head at him before following her brother through the door.

Aiden put his head in his hands. "Why am I so stupid?"

Meanwhile, October and Ryder walked downstairs, where Luca and Eliza were talking. "So, what now?" Luca asked.

"I'm not sure, honestly," Eliza shrugged. "My mother kicked me out this morning when she found out I was a demigod. She called a freak and I doubt she wants anything to do with me."

"You can stay with me and my mother," Luca offered. "She still has a thing for our father, and if I explain the situation, she might get it."

Eliza frowned. "Your mom knows?"

He shook his head. "No, but I can tell her something along the lines of what happened. You don't have to stay there all the time either. You're always welcome to come here, if you want."

"Encouraged, actually." Liela spoke up from behind them as Mari was the last to come out of the infirmary behind her after being looked over. "We're a bit short staffed, and it would be great to add a demigod to help us teach them what it's like. If you don't feel comfortable staying with Luca and his mother, you're always free to stay here."

Eliza nodded. "That would be nice," She looked back at Luca. "I think I'll stay here for now. You'll still see me, don't worry."

"Alright," Luca and Eliza embraced. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Same,"

Luca left after October and Ryder did, leaving only Mari and Aiden, who had slowly come down from the roof while they were talking, as the only rangers in the command center. Aiden, however, said his goodbyes to Mason, Liela, and Eliza before walking out.

Mari stopped Eliza before she went upstairs. "Hey, what did Iapetus mean when he said I wasn't worth his time?"

Eliza sighed, and pulled her to the side. "Mari, it's... probably nothing. Maybe he just wants one of you."

"Yeah, that makes sense," Mari smiled, relieved. "Okay, well, I'll see you tomorrow."

Eliza watched her leave as Mason walked up to her, eyeing her with a shake of his head. "You're hiding something, aren't you?"

She sighed. "Yeah, I am. It'll devastate them." Eliza gestured upstairs. "Come on, I'll tell you."

\- PRGG -

Luca got home to find Quinn standing in the living room waiting for him, his arms crossed. "Sup. Where have you been?" He asked.

"None of your business, Quinn." Luca shook his head. "None of anything going on here is your business."

Quinn rolled his eyes. "You're only saying that because you know it's true. You've changed."

"So what?! Why should that matter to you?!" Luca demanded, crossing his arms to mock his cousin. "Yeah, I have changed. I moved countries, Quinn! Obviously I would've changed! You shouldn't have even come here if you thought I would be the same! You should've expected this, and now I expect you to either except it or pack your bags go to hotel until you leave because I don't want you here, and I don't want you bothering my mother with your bullshit."

"Is that what you want?" Quinn asked.

Luca took a deep breath. "If you don't like it here, then leave."

Quinn nodded and walked back into the guest room. He emerged a few minutes later with his bags as Luca was in the kitchen trying to find something to eat. Luca turned around to see him place something on the table.

"I smuggled some lollies and L&P for you. I remembered they were your favorite." He gestured outside. "I called a cab, and I'm gonna go to the end of the driveway to meet it."

Luca watched him leave sadly. He wanted this experience to be just like it used to, but he realized that nothing would ever be like it used to. He sat down at the table, opening the soft drink and opening one of the candies.

He raised the bottle up. "Cheers to you, dad. Thanks for bringing me here. Really."

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Guardians of the Galaxy:** Mari's parents cut her off from her money after an argument.

 **Next chapter title:** Spoiled Rotten

 **Sorry this took so long to get out, but I really hope you guys liked it! What did you guys think about the October and Aiden moment? More will be coming up! Also, what do you think Eliza is hiding? It might have something to do with what Iapetus said to Mari...**

 **Slang Translation**

 **Gidday -** Greeting

 **Eh? -** Pardon?

 **NZ -** New Zealand

 **College -** High School

 **Varsity -** College

 **Ta -** Thank you

 **Mate -** Friend

 **Lollies -** Candy

 **L &P - **Fizzy, soft drink only sold in NZ

 **Again, keep in mind that I don't know anything personally about the slang, and just found this all on the internet. If I got something wrong, feel free to correct me.**

 **Oh, and I just found out this is the longest chapter I've ever written without it being a clipshow!**

 **Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed it and please review! It always makes me super happy to hear what you guys think!**

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


	6. Ep 6: Spoiled Rotten

**Hey guys! Thank you to everyone who reviewed or has reviewed, favorited, and/or followed this story so far! It means a lot! Here's the next chapter!**

* * *

Mari walked through the halls, her small purse bouncing against her hip and a binder and textbook in hand. Her heels clicked along the tile floors of the hallway as she was trying to get to her locker. She had her phone in her purse and her earbuds in her ears playing Walking on Sunshine by Katrina & the Waves, trying to making herself a bit happier on this day.

She made it to her locker and put her textbook away before looking in the mirror she had put on the door of her locker. She reached up and grabbed her makeup bag from the top shelf of her locker and began to fix her makeup with the free time she had during break.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed someone waving at her behind the door of her locker and looked up to see October standing behind her locker door. She pulled out one of her earbuds.

"I know that's a good song, but did you have to ignore me for it?" October joked.

Mari chuckled. "Sorry, I was just listening to it because I'm free now. I almost got it taken away in second period."

October frowned. "You don't seem like the type to listen to music in class. You seem more like the type to talk and text."

"Usually," Mari nodded. "But today I wasn't feeling it."

"Why? What's wrong?"

Mari sighed and took out her other earbud before putting it in her purse along with her phone. "I'm meeting up with my parents today. Well, more like my dad and step-mom. They want to reconnect or something."

"What's wrong with that?" October asked. "If my parents were still alive, and I was in your situation, I wouldn't mind."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but I bet your parents were actually cool people. Mine aren't. They kicked me out of the house on my 16th birthday. They had an apartment waiting for me and everything." She shook her head. "I'll never forgive them for that."

October gave her a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry that happened. What I said, though, still stands. Someday they aren't gonna be around, and you might regret not reconnecting now."

Mari scoffed. "Well, what if I died? They would regret the way they treated me, wouldn't they?"

"That's true, but what do you think is more likely to happen?" October said.

"Never know," Mari shrugged. "Seeing that we're..." She leaned in closer and whispered, "Power rangers, we might have a better chance."

October pursed her lips. "Yeah, I can agree on that, unfortunately. I worry about that too."

Mari looked up at her. "You know, October, you're a great friend and all, but you're also second-in-command. I'm really hoping you're just saying that to make me feel better and not because it's what you actually think."

October crossed her arms. "Why is that?"

"Come on. You're supposed to encourage us, not tell us that you're worried about us dying. Be second-in-command." Mari mocked her pose.

The older girl shook her head and scoffed. "Please. And just when I thought we could be good friends, too."

As October began to walk away Mari put her arms out in confusion. "Don't be like that, October. You know its true."

"I'm not the only one," October said before continuing to walk away.

Ryder, who saw them from afar, walked away from his friends and over to Mari. "What did you say to her?" He frowned.

Mari rolled her eyes. "So, what now? You're gonna come over and lecture me for upsetting your sister with the truth?"

"It depends on what you said," Ryder crossed his arms. "What did you say?"

She sighed irritatedly. "I told her that a good second-in-command wouldn't tell us that she's worried about us dying."

Ryder almost laughed. "What? Dude, I'm worried about us dying too. So is Luca and Aiden. You are too, probably. Don't be such a hypocrite. Besides, you're not second, so how could you know what a good one is like?"

The bell rang, and he walked away, shaking his head at her. She sighed, leaning a bit against the lockers as she looked at herself in the mirror. She sighed and closed the locker before heading off to class.

 **\- Cue Opening -**

"Polus," Saturn sat in his throne, tapping his fingers impatiently on the arm of the chair as he waited for the monster to respond.

Polus looked up, a bit scared. "Yes, master?"

Saturn gestured lazily around him. "Where's my next monster? We need to take the next step against those rangers."

"I thought we told them not to fight against us anymore," Polus frowned.

Saturn sat up suddenly and leaned towards Polus. "I thought you were supposed to be smart, Polus. Do you really believe that the rangers are gonna stop fighting us just because we told them to?"

Polus leaned back, chuckling nervously. "No, of course not, master."

"Okay, so what monster are you sending out to destroy them this time?"

"Umm..." Polus looked through the papers he had sitting around, in which he had typed all of the ranger's activities. Nearby him was a portal, which not only transported any of them anywhere in the universe, but also could show them anything they wanted, including the rangers. Polus looked up and saw something interesting. "I have an idea."

Saturn looked over at the portal as well, and smirked. "I think the yellow ranger might have just made a mistake."

"Alecto," Polus called.

Out of a tunnel where the creatures resided, a female monster, called an Erinys, made it's way out of the darkness. She had a coal black body, snakes for hair, bloodshot eyes, bat's wings, and the face of a dog. She held a brass-studded scourge in hand, which was used to whip with it's multiple ends.

"Yes, master?" She moved her head to look over at the two, the snake's heads following her line of vision. Her voice also came out like a hiss.

Saturn looked her over before gesturing to portal, where it replayed the scene. "Can you do something about that?"

The Erinys crossed her arms. "No one has made a complaint to me. My job is to punish the insolence of those who have been complained about."

Saturn grabbed a large scythe next to him and stood above the monster. "Well then, do something about it. Make them complain."

"As you wish," Alecto bowed quickly before hopping through the portal.

\- PRGG -

Suddenly, Alecto was in the hallway at the school. Looking around, she quickly took in a deep breath and morphed into a normal looking girl at about the age of 18. She looked almost exactly like October's best friend, Alice. She wore a tan, toga dress with sandals.

The bell ran above her, signalling school being over. Today, there wasn't any practice due to the coach being out sick. She saw then saw the ranger she was looking for, October, coming out of a nearby classroom. Alecto caught up with her and smiled as October looked over in confusion.

"Yeah?" She asked, looking Alecto over. "Oh, hey, Alice. Why did you change your clothes? You usually don't wear things like that."

Alecto shrugged. "I wanted to try something new. Anyways, what's going on? I saw you and Marissa fighting earlier."

October rolled her eyes. "Yeah, Mari was being a bitch, honestly."

"A bitch? Really?" Alecto smirked to herself.

"Yeah, she was telling me that I wasn't a good enough second-in-command because I was worried about us dying against these monsters. I mean, they're really powerful." October sighed.

"That's definitely something to be worried about," Alecto noticed the hallway had basically cleared out, before she transformed back into her monstrous form. "Something you should also be worried about right now."

October got into a fighting stance and growled. "You're not Alice. What have you done with her?" October demanded.

Alecto chuckled. "I don't have time to deal with anyone but the rangers."

"Well, you got one. Now what?"

October went up to reach for her locket when Alecto kicked her hand away. The pink ranger grasped her hand in pain and ducked under a punch. October kicked her in the stomach and tried to run to get to one of the others, who she knew were close.

Alecto pulled out her scourge and whipped it at her, wrapping it tightly around her waist as she made her fall over and dragged her back, despite her efforts to break free. October kicked Alecto's face, making the grip around her weaken and allowed her to get up and try to find the others again.

The Erinys growled and ran with inhuman speed in front of her and shoved her back hard. October flew back onto the ground and slid to a stop in front of a wall. She groaned in pain and pushed herself up weakly.

"Is that the best you got?" October asked, wiping blood away from her mouth with the back of her good hand.

Alecto rolled her eyes. "Not even close. Unfortunately, you're not the one I want."

October titled her head in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"You wont live long enough to find out,"

Alecto whipped her hard with her scourge, making her hit a wall of lockers and fall unconscious.

"October!" A sudden gust of wind shot out at Alecto, slamming her back into a nearby wall as Aiden ran over to October. He knelt down next to her and let his hands hover over her for a moment, not knowing exactly what to do. He then turned her head up to see a nasty cut going across her hairline.

He moved her gently and made sure she was on her back. Putting a hand lightly on her cheek to hold her head steady, he shook her shoulder cautiously. "October?" He asked. "Come on, wake up."

She groaned quietly in pain but didn't come to. Aiden turned angrily towards the Erinys, who made her way to her feet and smirked dangerously when she saw him.

"Son of Jupiter. Leader of the rangers." She shook her head, clicking her tongue in a disappointed manner. "Falling for the daughter of Venus, are we?"

Aiden growled. "What are you?" He demanded. "And what did you to her?"

Alecto shrugged, crossing her arms defiantly. "I didn't do anything special. I can't. Not to her, at least. By the way, do your research. I'm one of the three Erinyes. The name is Alecto."

"There are three of you?" Aiden asked, kneeling next to October to protect her.

Alecto sighed exasperatedly. "Not to fight right now. I'm the only one here, as you can obviously see. You're dumber than I thought."

Aiden stood up and pulled out his blaster. "You're dumber than I thought for underestimating me." As the red ranger moved forward and shot a blast, Alecto ducked under it and used her scourge to pull it out of his hands and knock it to the floor. She then grabbed him by the chest with it and raised him up into the air, laughing while doing so.

"Any last words?" She cackled.

Suddenly, she was blasted back, making the whip throw Aiden back towards the wall. He heard a sickening crunch as he hit, and groaned out in pain. He looked over to see October holding his blaster out at Alecto.

"October?" He gasped out.

She looked over at him before taking a few more deep breaths and falling back unconscious. Aiden winced and pulled himself over to her, holding her close and turning his back towards the creature in an attempt to protect the pink ranger.

"October!"

"Aiden!"

Aiden looked up to see Ryder and Luca running towards them. Alecto looked among them and growled. "I don't want any of you."

"Well, that too bad," Ryder growled, standing close to his sister. "Cause you got us." Ryder fired a shot from his own blaster, but when he did so, Alecto disappeared into thin air. Then, he looked down and pushed Aiden away from October. "Don't touch her." He warned, picking her up himself, making Aiden glare up at him from the ground. "She's hurt, we have to get back. I don't want your hands anywhere near her."

Luca leaned down and helped Aiden standing, supporting him as he was up. "Hey, calm down, mate," Luca told him. "He protected her. She could've died if he didn't show up. And either way, he's hurt too."

Ryder adjusted his grip on October and held her closer. "I don't want _anyone_ to touch her. She's hurt."

"I'm sorry," Aiden muttered. "I just tried to help."

The green ranger turned away awkwardly. "Let's just get to the command center."

Luca gestured after them. "Well, let's go. You need to get check out too, mate."

\- PRGG -

Mari sat in the living room at her house, watching as her step-mother, Summer, poured tea for her. Her father, Bruce, walked in and sat in a chair in front of her, smiling.

The yellow ranger crossed her arms. "What do you guys want? I don't really wanna be here longer than I need to be."

"Sweetie, why have you been so distant?" Summer asked, causing Mari to avoid her glance.

Mari looked directly at her father. "Dad, why am I here?"

Bruce sighed. "We have something to tell you."

"What?" She crossed her arms.

"Well, we're moving to New York. As you can see, we already have plenty of things gone. I wanted you to come over to ask you if you wanted to come with us." Mari stared at them in shock. "If not, we're going to have to cut you off from our money and our lives, Marissa. We don't have a choice."

"Excuse me?" Mari scoffed. "What do you mean, you don't have a choice?! I haven't done anything wrong!"

Summer put her hand up. "Actually, you've been using our money for the past 6 months, and we're going to go broke if we keep this up. Either you move back in with us and come to New York, or you stay here and you're cut off."

"You have no right to do that to me, Summer," Mari growled.

Bruce stood. "Don't talk to your mother that way, young lady!"

Mari rolled her eyes and stood as well, not intimidated a bit by her father standing tall above her. "She's not my mother, and never will be!" Seeing the look on both of their faces, Mari nodded. "Oh yeah, you thought I wouldn't find out, didn't you? Well, too late for that!"

Calmed down a bit, and shocked at this turn of events, Bruce took a deep breath and spoke again. "How did you find that out?"

"Someone who's never lied to me, told me. Of course, you'd probably never figure out who that is, considering you're both liars." Mari picked up her purse. "I don't even know why I thought it would be a good idea to come over. Maybe I just thought it would be good to reconnect because, you know, some people don't have parents at all, and it's a privilege that I do, but it's worth it. I don't care what you do to me. I'm not leaving with you anywhere."

Mari stormed out of the house just as her locket got hot against her chest. She pressed it. "Yeah?"

 _"You need to get to the command center. Now."_

\- PRGG -

"I'm fine," Aiden insisted as Liela looked him over. October had already been looked at, and was now awake, leaving Liela to take care of Aiden's injuries. "Liela, I'm telling you..." He yelped when Liela pressed a hand lightly against his chest.

Liela rolled her eyes. "And I'm telling you, you broke at least two ribs. I'll wrap them up, and you can't fight for at least a week or so."

Aiden sighed. "Great."

"So," Liela began to wrap up his chest. "What's going on between you and October?"

"Why would you think something was going on?" Aiden asked, avoiding looking at Liela.

"Oh please," She rolled her eyes. "Just ask her out already. You two obviously like each other."

Aiden shook his head. "I don't think she likes me like that."

"Really? Why did she get upset when you claimed nothing was going on on the roof two weeks ago?" Aiden gave her a look, and Liela shrugged. "October said something about it, plus we have video and audio surveillance."

"Was she really mad? I mean, we haven't talked as much as we usually do. I'm worried that I really screwed up."

Liela made him look at her. "Look, Aiden, just ask her out on a date. She likes you. You like her. Do it."

He seemed a bit uncomfortable. "I've asked out tons of girls before, and I've never had this hard of a time doing it. I've been trying to find the opportunity, but I'm too nervous."

She chuckled. "That just means that you really, really like her. Which is a good thing. I think you can do it."

Meanwhile, Mari got to the command center to find Luca and Eliza sitting in the living room. "Where is everybody?"

"October and Aiden were injured," Luca informed her, gesturing for her to sit with them, which she did. "They're gonna be fine, but Liela's checking them out."

Mari frowned. "How did this happen?"

Eliza spoke up. "An Erinys happened."

"What is an Erinys?"

She pursed her lips. "It's basically a female demonic creature from Tartarus that feeds off of vengeance. In the simplest terms I can explain, they torture those who have acted out and are complained about. They hear these complains and decide what to do based on the 'crime' committed. I guess you could say that they deliver karma."

Mari looked at her like she was crazy. "Why would these Erinyes want us?"

Luca sheepishly looked to her. "Actually, Mari, I don't think it wants all of us. When the four of us were all there, it said that the one it wants wasn't there. I think you're the one it wants."

"I didn't do anything, though. I mean, who would complain about me to them?" Mari crossed her arms.

"October did," Ryder walked out of the infirmary to join in the discussion since the three were the only ones left to fight. "You were being a bitch, and she thought she was confiding in Alice, but it was just Alecto in disguise."

Luca frowned. "Is Alice okay?"

Ryder nodded. "October texted her and she's fine." He turned to Mari. "There's no way Alecto isn't after you. Honestly, she's probably hunting for you right now."

"How do we get rid of her?" Mari asked, frightened. "I don't wanna be tortured!"

Eliza cringed. "Well, unfortunately, the only way to get rid of her is to fight her and win. Just keep in mind, if you lose, she's gonna kill you. The good thing is, though, that she can't kill anybody that she's not assigned to fight. The only way she could do that is if all of you commit a similar act, which you didn't.

"So, what do we do?" Luca asked.

"I have a plan, but you two are gonna like it." Eliza chuckled nervously. "It's kinda dangerous."

"Aren't we always in danger anyways?" Ryder rolled his eyes. "What the worst that can happen if she can't even kill us?"

\- PRGG -

"This is bad," Ryder crossed his arms and shook his head as he and Luca stood in the town square, where Alecto was last seen. "I don't like this."

Luca nodded. "Me either, mate, but it's the only way to try to keep Mari safe."

Ryder glared off into the distance, where Mari was hiding away. "Well, she didn't keep my sister safe,"

The blue ranger frowned. "It wasn't on purpose. In this line of work, you should expect to get injured."

"You mean like how we're about to?" Ryder muttered. "Why do we have to be the distraction while Mari prepares to give her the final blow? Mari should be the distraction."

Luca shook his head. "She could easily be killed doing that."

A hiss came from behind them and they turned to see Alecto behind them. "You mean like you'll hopefully be in a few moments?"

"We know you can't kill us," Ryder and Luca stood in position in front of her. "Good luck. Ready?"

"Ready."

"Guardians, Rise Up!"

"Green Guardian!"

"Blue Guardian!"

Ryder pulled out his sword while Luca pulled out his spear. "Let's do this,"

Meanwhile, Mari watched them fight from afar. She was already morphed, and waiting for the best moment to deliver the blow. She had a feeling Alecto would be highly sensitive and would know exactly when she got there, so she had to wait until Alecto was deeply distracted.

Luca jumped onto a car and jumped again when Alecto's scourge came out at his feet. Luca stomped down on it hard, feeling a bit bad about the car underneath him. Alecto pulled on the whip hard, causing Luca to fall to the ground next to the car, breaking one of the windows on his way down.

Ryder slashed at her with his sword, cutting her shoulder deeply. She cried out in pain and glared daggers at the green ranger. "That one was was for my sister," He kicked his foot up at her head, throwing her back at a nearby tree. "That too."

Alecto growled and whipped her scourge out, catching him in the chest and throwing him to the ground. He groaned loudly in pain and looked down to see a nasty welt already appearing through a cut in his suit.

"Her whip can break through our suits!" Ryder yelled as he held his arm over the injury.

The Erinys held her scourge up with honor. "Yeah, it's amazing, isn't it?"

Luca blasted her from behind the car he had fallen beside. Alecto used her scourge to grab him and slam him back down on the ground hard, demorphing him. Ryder stood up shakily to help, and Alecto shook her head at him.

"You're not even a challenge," Alecto said as she whipped him once more, demorphing him also.

Mari watched as Alecto turned her back on her and looked towards the two fallen rangers. She slowly made her way out, her hands glowing yellow as they were wrapped around her blaster.

Alecto's snakes turned towards her before Alecto herself stopped what she was doing. The Erinys turned around and smirked at her. "Well, well, well. You've finally decided to join the party, huh? I've been waiting."

Mari pointed her blaster at Alecto, which didn't even face the monster. "Be careful what you wish for, Alecto."

The yellow ranger pressed the trigger, causing a yellow ray to shoot out of the blaster like normal, but it was quickly followed by two rays of fire wrapping around the original ray. Alecto was shocked and tried to hold her ground against the blast, but Mari pressed the trigger harder.

The blast stopped as Alecto stood there, surrounded by fire. "You'll get back for this, Marissa. I promise you." Alecto fell over and exploded.

Mari demorphed and ran over to help the two guys stand. "You guys okay?"

"Does it look like it?" Ryder held his arms over his chest to protect his injuries. Luca was limping as well.

"We'll just get you back to the command center. Let's go," Mari sighed as she helped them walk towards their destination.

\- PRGG -

October walked out of the infirmary, rubbing her head a bit with her injured hand. Her other hand was sprained and bandaged up while her head was stitched and not bandaged. She was lucky enough not to have a concussion, but was still told to take it easy.

She saw Aiden sitting on the couch with his chest bandaged up, but no shirt over it. She found herself staring a bit until he noticed and chuckled at her, causing her to blush.

"How are you?" Aiden asked after a moment of awkward silence.

October shrugged. "I'm okay. Just a few stitches and a sprained wrist. No big deal." She looked him over. "How about you?"

Aiden shrugged as well. "Few broken ribs. No big deal," He smirked at her as she sat next to him on the couch. October sat there awkwardly until Aiden sighed. "Hey, October, I'm sorry."

"For what?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "For saying our talk the other week or so was nothing. I thought maybe you didn't want me to say anything.. I don't know, really."

"What?" She looked a bit confused. "No, I totally get it. It's fine. I just.. well, I don't know either."

"No, I know you're upset about it. We had a moment, and I totally screwed it up by saying that to the girl I really..." He was cut off when the other three ranger burst in from outside, startling the two.

October and Aiden both stood, seeing the injuries sustained by Ryder and Luca. "Ryder?" October moved closer and held him up, since he looked in almost too much pain to stand. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"We were the distractions," Ryder muttered as she helped him towards the infirmary and Mari was behind them, helping Luca. Aiden also followed.

"The what?" October let her brother sit on a bed and turned towards Mari. "They were the distractions?"

"It wasn't her fault," Eliza spoke up as she looked at the welts covering Ryder's chest. "I suggested the plan because Alecto would've killed Mari the minute she didn't have prior engagements."

October frowned and pushed her away from Ryder. "I can patch him up myself, in that case,"

Eliza sighed. "October, it was to keep Mari alive."

"So all of us had to get injured to keep her alive? Nice." October rolled her eyes. "I think we should've found another way." Mari looked around before storming out of the room. October sighed and turned to Liela, who was watching them all while Mason patched Luca up. "Can you do this while I go talk to her?"

Liela nodded and October followed after Mari. Mari was up on the roof, crying with her legs drawn up to her chest. October walked over to her and sat in front of her.

"You okay?" She asked.

Mari almost laughed as she looked up at October. "Do I look okay?"

October frowned sympathetically. "You went to see your parents today, didn't you?"

She nodded. "Yeah. They're moving to New York and they said I have to come with them or else they're gonna cut me off from their lives and money. If they do that, I'll be homeless. I don't have a job, or money to support my apartment. I can't do anything."

"I could help you find a job, and I'm sure you could stay with a friend or something," October offered.

"No one would want me to stay with them for that long."

October pursed her lips. "Well, maybe you could stay here? I mean, Liela probably wouldn't mind. Her old team lived here and everything. You'll be okay."

"You think so?" Mari looked up at her with puppy-dog eyes.

"Oh yeah," October stood up and helped her up with her. "I know you will. I'll help you, and so will the others. If you need a job, I could get you one at Fred's. He wouldn't mind extra work."

"Thanks, October," Mari wiped her tears. "It means a lot."

October nodded. "No problem." She gestured downstairs. "Come on, let's go back downstairs and see what we could do."

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Guardians of the Galaxy:** Aiden struggles to accept his mother's marriage as the date comes around, and decides to invite October to come with him. Meanwhile, Ryder gets sick, leaving only Mari and Luca to help Periboea, a giantess, find her son, Ajax.

 **Next Chapter Title:** Not My Father

 **Here I am almost exactly a week later, which is pretty fast, considering I started to write this yesterday. I really hope you guys liked this chapter - it turned out a bit differently than I wanted it too.**

 **And, Alecto has two sisters (the other two Erinyes), huh? That could spell trouble in the future...**

 **Anyways, as always, I hope you guys enjoyed it, and I appreciate the support of every single person who has read, reviewed, favorited, or followed this story! It really keeps me going!**

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


	7. Ep 7: Not My Father

**Hey guys, here's the next one! This one is definitely for all of the people who like Aiden/October, because it's really going to get serious in this chapter!**

 **Also, this chapter uses translations of Latin and Greek, so excuse me for mistakes as I'm using Google translate, since I know nothing from the languages. Also, during the wedding song:**

 _ **Bold/Italic text**_ \- means both are singing

 **Bold text** \- means female singing

 _Italic text -_ means male singing

* * *

Aiden sat in forth period with Brent, who was messing around with his soccer ball, much to the chagrin of the substitute teacher, though he didn't do anything about it. The red ranger was almost glaring at a envelope in front of him, not yet opening it. It was addressed in fancy lettering to him, and he already knew what it was.

Brent looked over at him and raised an eyebrow. "I don't think it's going to open just because you're staring at it."

Aiden sighed. "Good, because I really don't want to open it. That just makes it all way more real."

"That's because it _is_ real. I still don't see what the problem is. Doesn't your mom deserve to move on after all of these years? I mean, yeah, it's hard because of your dad being dead and all, but what about her?" Brent crossed his arms.

"You just don't understand," Aiden said, fiddling with the opening on the envelope.

"What exactly am I not understanding?" Brent asked, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, I know that you don't want her to move on because the love of her life died, but you've had this invitation for a month or two now, and haven't opened it up. What's going on?"

Aiden shook his head. "It's not important," He sighed and carefully ripped it open to pull out the invitation he was hoping to never get. It was an invitation to his mother's wedding, which was over the weekend. He had been putting off opening it until now, which was Friday. The plan was to go to a hotel in Las Bahias later that night and attend the wedding in the morning on the beach, then the guests could spend the rest of the weekend there while his mother and her husband left for their honeymoon that night.

Reading the very formal invitation over, he noticed at the bottom that it said plus 1. Brent, who was leaning over to read it as well, smirked at him. "Dude, she's telling you to bring a date."

The red ranger gave Brent a look. "I know," He sneered. "I don't even wanna go, though. Even if I did, who would I bring? I don't have a girlfriend."

Brent rolled his eyes. "You're missing the most obvious opportunity. You're always talking about going out with October, so ask her. It's casual enough to be a friendship invitation, and formal enough to be a date. It's perfect."

"Do you think she'll accept on this short of a notice?" Aiden asked, mulling it over.

"Who knows? You'll have to ask her,"

 **\- Cue Opening -**

October sat down at the lunch table and groaned. "I want to go on vacation so badly," She mumbled as she put her head down on her hand. "I am _so_ exhausted."

Mari, Luca, and Alice sat across from her, and all had slightly amused looks on their faces. "Nice to see you too," Alice chuckled. "What's up?"

"Well, you would think that Ryder is old enough to take care of himself, but he's not at all," October whined, looking up at them with a pout on her face.

Mari looked around. "Speaking of Ryder - where is he?"

"Sick," October sat up straight, beginning to poke at her fruit salad. "At 17 years old, he should be able to handle it on his own, but instead he complains to me all day and all night. I mean, he _is_ pretty sick, but can't he let me sleep? I mean, he's not the one who has to go to school."

"Why don't you just let him take care of himself? Teach him a valuable life lesson?" Luca asked, taking a bite of a fish stick he had gotten from the cafeteria.

"Because he won't," October sighed. "All he does is lay in his room and yell at me. I don't know how he survives without me sometimes."

Mari smiled at her. "Well, since I'm moving into the command center and don't feel like actually doing any work to move, maybe I could come over and hang out with you guys?"

October chuckled. "Who's gonna move your stuff then?"

"Mason and Eliza are helping me, but they're capable of doing it alone. I can totally come over and help out." Mari nodded enthusiastically.

The pink ranger raised an eyebrow. "Why do you sound so excited to do that?"

Mari shrugged. "I was thinking that, maybe, you could get me off of work for the weekend?" She said sheepishly.

"Of course it involves something like that," October laughed. "Well, just tell Fred that I'm going away and that Ryder's sick. He'll get it."

"Are you sure?" Mari asked.

"Positive," October nodded. "Fred's cool. He always gets it. Plus, he knows we're rangers so that makes things ten times easier."

"Oh yeah, completely." Mari agreed.

Aiden came over with his lunch and smiled at the group. "Hey, guys," He greeted as he sat on the left side of the table. Their usual lunch table had four sides to sit on, with the front and back sides able to hold three people each, and the left and right sides able to hold two each.

The others greeted him back as he put his things down and put the envelope on the table in front of October. She looked at it and back up at him with a smirk. "Is this one of those notes from middle school that says 'Do you want to go out with me? Check yes or no?'" She chuckled.

Aiden rolled his eyes. "No, it's my invitation to my mother's wedding."

"Oh, congrats!" October smiled. "That's great for her!"

He made a face. "I guess. I don't really want to go."

"Well, I don't think you can send me in your place. We don't really look alike - I doubt it'll fool anybody," October joked.

"You know that's not what I'm asking," Aiden smirked. "I was gonna ask if you.. wanted come with me? It's for the weekend, so I'm not sure if you're cool with that, especially considering how short notice this is, but I wanted to ask anyways. Actually, it's probably not even something you would want to do..." He was about to take back the invitation when October grabbed his hand and smiled.

"I would love to go, Aiden," October squeezed his hand. "Don't be so shy."

Aiden smiled back. "Really? Okay, that's great. I'll pick you up at your house tonight at 6:30. We have a bit of a drive."

October blushed a bit. "I'll be ready." She turned to Mari, who chuckled nervously. "Still wanna stay over?"

Mari smiled weakly. "Oh yeah, totally," She said, obviously not excited anymore.

"I'll stay over for the weekend," Alice rolled her eyes at Mari, who perked up as soon as she offered. "I know how Ryder is, I can handle it."

"Thank you," October and Mari said at the same time, making October chuckle at the yellow ranger, who was very relieved.

\- PRGG -

A small hut sat on top of a golden hill in Rome. Inside the hut, a beautiful woman sat, staring out her window with a sigh. She had long chestnut brown hair, lightly tanned skin, and amber colored eyes. She wore a toga-type dress with sandals. She was also quite tall for a woman, standing at about 6'2.

"Ajax, where are you?" She whispered, before seeing a man land in front of her hut out of nowhere. She recognized this man and stood in fear, hoping he couldn't see her. She looked to the back of her hut, where she made sure to have an exit in case of emergency.

When the man looked away, she ran towards the door and fled down the hill, hearing the man yell after her in Latin.

"Ite hic!" He yelled. "Ite hic!"

 _Get back here! Get back here!_

"Numquam!" She yelled back, running faster.

 _Never!_

Ahead, she saw a lagoon and called out, "Neptune, avus, adiuva me! Introduc me in tuto!"

 _Neptune, grandfather, help me! Take me to a safe place!_

Taking a deep breath, she ran into the water and leaped into the deep as the man stood on the edge of the lagoon in anger. He looked off into the water and didn't see her come up.

"Damnant quod, Periboea," He growled. The man lifted his wrist to his lips, revealing a communicator under his sleeve. "Domine orba sum. Aiax custodiam tamen. Et nunc veni?"

 _Damn it, Periboea. Sir, I've lost her. Ajax is in custody, however. Shall I come back now?_

"Etiam." A voice said through his communicator.

 _Yes._

\- PRGG -

"Ryder," October went into her brother's room. She sighed when she saw him fast asleep in bed, and really didn't want to wake him. She had been putting off waking him up ever since she got home, especially since he was pretty sick, but she was about to leave and wanted to tell him herself where she was going. "Ryder," She shook his shoulder a bit, eliciting a groan from the younger male. "Hey, I have to tell you something,"

Ryder coughed the other direction, though October still stepped back a bit. He glared her way. "What? Can't you let a sick boy sleep?" He muttered, his voice congested.

October felt his forehead and cringed sympathetically before he pushed her hand off. "Look, I'm sorry for waking you, but I'm leaving,"

He frowned. "What? Where are you going?"

"I'm going away for the weekend," She chuckled a bit nervously. "I'm going as Aiden's.. friend to his mother's wedding."

Ryder stared at her for a moment, unsure of what to say. "Okay, am I missing something? Am I hallucinating from being too sick? Or, did you just say what I think you said?"

She rolled her eyes. "First of all, smartass, hallucinations come from your vision, and second of all, I did say what you think I said. I'm going to Aiden's mother's wedding with him for the weekend."

"And where's the part where you might have considered this a bad idea? I mean, as the intelligent and careful person you are," Ryder crossed his arms.

"Oh please," October scoffed. "Ryder, I need to get out and have fun. Have a life. I know you don't like Aiden, but I do. A lot. Plus, you should realize that I'm your _older_ sister, and I can do what I want without your permission."

"You can't just leave me here like this," Ryder exclaimed hoarsely as she was about to leave the room, hearing a knock at the front door. "I'm really sick, and leaving me here is a reflection on you as a bad sister."

October smirked. "You didn't think I thought of that? Alice is here with you this weekend. Think of her as me. You know, the way you treat me like your servant when you're sick? Do that. She'll definitely want to help you if you do that."

Ryder groaned as she walked out of the room and out into the kitchen, where Aiden was waiting for her. He smiled when he saw her.

"Are you ready?"

She picked up her suitcase to show it to him. "I'm ready." She smiled back.

Aiden gestured out the door. "Ladies first," He also took her bag from her. "I'll carry it."

October chuckled and began to walk out. "Thank you,"

Alice smiled as she watched them leave. "Don't get back too soon, lovebirds! We won't wait up!" Alice then walked back inside and closed the door before looking over to see Ryder standing in the small hallway. She looked him over and frown. "You look pretty bad. Need anything?"

"Yeah," Ryder grumbled. "I need my sister to stay away from that guy."

\- PRGG -

Periboea gasped as she awoke suddenly on a beach. She looked around, surrounded by an unfamiliar location, and frowned deeply. "Where have you taken me, grandfather?" She whispered.

From afar, Eliza walked out of the command center, wanting to go sit by ocean, where she felt most at home. After she left her training with the gods, and her mother abandoned her, she felt very out of place anywhere she went. While she felt accepted by the rangers, she always felt most comfortable sitting by the water, especially when she was thinking so much.

Eliza began to walk down there when she saw Periboea from a distance and stopped. The roman toga-like dress Periboea was wearing resonated in her memory, but she had no idea who this woman was.

She walked slowly towards her as her back was turned, but stopped again when she saw Periboea tense up, most likely having heard her walking over.

"Listen, I'm not going hurt you or anything," Eliza said, putting her hands out in a peaceful manner to let her know she wasn't threatening. "I just wanna know who you are; I recognize that dress."

Periboea turned around and looked her up and down with a slight frown. "Amita," She said slowly, as if she was unsure.

Eliza frowned in confusion for a moment before realizing Periboea was speaking a different language. "You speak Latin," Eliza said. "Amita means aunt, right?"

"Paternal aunt," Periboea responded, a light Italian accent. She still spoke cautiously.

"Neptis, right?" Eliza asked. "Niece?" Periboea nodded. "Who's your father?"

"King Cychreus of Salamis. Son of Neptune and Salamis." Periboea told her, making Eliza nod in recognition. "You are the daughter of Neptune and a human woman named Sarah King. I am Periboea and Neptune has brought me here to protect me and help me save my son, Ajax."

Eliza put her hands up. "Slow down. What happened?"

"I was consorted by Theseus after I bore a son, Ajax, to Telamon. I know Telamon does not care for me, rather would have dead, but Ajax is a great warrior, and Telamon holds him in high regard. Due to Telamon's flaws, Ajax is with I. However, the man wants Ajax to be with him as a bragging tool. I need to get him back. Ajax will die if he stays with Telamon."

"Okay, I can help you," Eliza gestured for her to follow. "You'll stay here tonight and in the very early morning, I'll have the power rangers assist you in saving your son. They're the best warriors I know. They can help."

\- PRGG -

Aiden and October arrived at the hotel in Las Bahias quite late, though October was so ecstatic about this vacation, she was barely tired. They had a valet park the car, and a bellhop take their bags up. After Aiden got the two room keys, he went over to October awkwardly.

"Both of these keys are for the same room. My mom paid for one room per person, including their plus one. I'm sorry - I didn't know." Aiden sighed. "I can try to figure something out..."

October chuckled. "Aiden, stop. It's fine. You can't always be so awkward around me. This is really great."

Aiden handed her the other key and smiled. "Yeah?"

She took the key and smiled back. "Definitely."

The two went to their room, where they were greeted with a very large room that looked more like an expensive studio apartment than a hotel room. There was a clear kitchen/living area that lead into the bedroom, in which there was only one bed. There was also a large, fancy bathroom with a Jacuzzi bathtub and a separate shower.

"There's only one bed," Aiden chuckled awkwardly. "I guess my mom probably thought I was coming alone or something."

October shrugged and set her stuff down on the couch. "It's big enough for two people," She turned back to Aiden. "It's not gonna be awkward unless you make it awkward. Besides, with a view like that, how could anything be awkward?"

Looking out past the bed, there was a large balcony with an ocean side view, and steps to get down to the beach since they were only on the first floor. It was dark, but the moon had a very prominent shine on the water.

"Wow," Aiden was in awe. "That's beautiful,"

October nodded before looking at her stuff. "I'm going put my stuff out so I can get ready as fast as possible tomorrow, okay? I'm also gonna call Ryder, so I'll be a few minutes."

"No problem," Aiden shrugged with a smile as October went into the bathroom and began to put her stuff away. After a few minutes of doing so, she went out in the hall to call. While she was distracted, Aiden grabbed his swim trunks and smiled.

\- PRGG -

After hanging up the phone when October called him, Ryder shook his head and leaned back on the couch. Alice stood in the kitchen, leaning against the island, watching him while she ate raspberries she found in the fridge.

"You know, it's almost midnight. You should probably go to bed, especially since your sick," Alice pointed out.

Ryder rolled his eyes. "How can I sleep when I know my sister is out for the weekend with Aiden? For all we know, he could have a plan to seduce her or something."

Alice chuckled. "He probably does, just not in the way you're thinking."

He scoffed, looking her way. "No way that Aiden and October getting together would be a good way."

"You're looking at this all wrong," Alice shook her head, popping a raspberry in her mouth. "Aiden really likes October. I mean, really, really likes her. October really, really likes Aiden back, which, I know you don't want to hear, but you have to. They both like each other, and they're both technically consenting adults. They can do whatever they want to, and if that happens to be dating, then who are you to stand in their way?"

"I'm the guy that doesn't trust that douche with my sister," Ryder crossed his arms. "At all. She may be older than me, and I can't tell her what to do, but I don't want her to get hurt, you know?"

Alice nodded. "I don't want her to get hurt either, but how is this any different from your relationship with Melissa?"

"Completely," Ryder almost laughed. "Mel and I actually like each other. We don't want each other for our bodies, or to get back at someone," He gave her a look. "Everybody tells me that Mel just wants me to get back at October, and I don't think so. She's not like everybody thinks."

She pursed her lips. "But, what if she is?"

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, what if she's exactly like everybody thinks she is? I mean, she used to talk crap about you to October, who always used to defend you against it. Why they were friends made no sense to me," Alice shook her head. "I don't know Ryder, it just seems kind of strange that the minute Melissa and October weren't friends, she turns to you. Doesn't it?"

Ryder shrugged a bit uncomfortably. "Look, I don't know. Lately, I've been having some doubts of my own, but it doesn't matter. I couldn't confront her about it. Even if she was, she'd obviously deny it."

"Break up with her then. There shouldn't be any doubts of a person's intentions in a relationship. Just like October doesn't have any doubts about Aiden." Ryder started to rolled his eyes, but Alice kept talking. "Hey, I know you don't like him or trust him or whatever, but October obviously does. She's smart, and knows what she's doing. Don't you trust her judgement?"

"Well, yeah, but..."

"No buts," Alice cut him off. "If you do, then you should let her do it without any complaints. If Aiden hurts her, then you say something. You go right up to that douchebag and punch him in the face, and go comfort her. I trust Aiden, though. He's changed lately, and I think he has pure intentions."

Ryder sighed. "Really?"

"Definitely."

\- PRGG -

October came back into the room, rolling her eyes. Ryder had been complaining to her about her leaving with Aiden, even though she only called to check in. When she got back to the room, she noticed Aiden was gone, however.

"Aiden?" She asked, looking around the room. Soon her eyes caught the open door that led out to the ocean. She smirked, and untied the bottom of her flannel, which always resided above her bellybutton, and let it fall down to her mid-thigh while she buttoned the top to reveal a light pink bikini top, also taking off her bottoms for the bottom of her bikini. She grabbed a pair of shorts and pulled them on along with a white towel over her shoulders before walking out of the room and down to the beach as well, where she found Aiden standing with his feet in the ocean, staring out in the distance.

He heard her walking towards him, and turned around, smirking when he saw her. "You changed?"

She looked him up and down, her eyes catching on his chest for a moment before looking up at his face. "Well, so did you. I figured I might as well come out here, seeing as I was going to do so anyways."

Aiden walked over to her as she put the towel down next to his shoes and offered her his hand. "You want to go in the water?"

"Actually," She took his hand and pulled him down with her. "I thought we could just sit and enjoy the night. Plus, the water's a bit cold at night."

"Then why are you in a bathing suit?" Aiden asked, chuckling.

"Well, I figured it was proper beach wear." She chuckled with him before looking up at the star-filled sky. "It's so beautiful out here. I could stay here all night."

Aiden looked up as well. "Same, but it would be a bit cold, don't you think?"

She didn't laugh. "You know, staring up into the sky makes me realize how small we all really are," She commented, laying back into the sand, Aiden following suit. "I mean, we're put here on this Earth to do who knows what, but we're so extraordinarily tiny. Sometimes I just think about why we're here."

"Yeah, I do the same. More about why _I'm_ here, rather than people like you, though." Aiden let out a chuckle, though it wasn't humorous.

October faced him with a frown. "What do you mean? You're a great person, Aiden."

"So are you," Aiden pointed out, making her smile a bit and look down. "I think we're here to make an impact, no matter how small, on, not only others, but the world. Like, you were put here to save the world as power ranger, and make an impact in the lives of people like your brother.. and me." She looked up at him again. "I never thought I would change for someone who I used to see as.. a way to get talked about, or an object to show off, but I realized that's so, incredibly wrong." He told her, shaking his head. "I would never see anybody in that way ever again. Being on this team, and actually getting to know you; it's changed me. I don't know how you..."

He was cut off when she kissed him on the cheek. "I know," She nodded. "That's part of the reason I always rejected you, but you're different now. I mean, I guess, based on looks, I've always had a little crush, but now.. everything has changed."

Aiden smiled slightly, a bit unsure. "For the better?"

She smiled back. "Completely. It's not just a little crush anymore. I really, really like you Aiden, and I'm so glad you invited me out here."

"I really, really like you too," The two stared at each other before sharing a passionate kiss.

\- PRGG -

In the morning, Mari and Luca met up at the command center, Eliza having called Luca to gather up all of the rangers. When they got there, Eliza stood outside with Periboea, staring at them exasperatedly as only they showed up.

"Where are Aiden, October, and Ryder?" Eliza crossed her arms.

Mari chuckled nervously. "Well, Ryder's really sick, and Aiden and October are gone for the weekend,"

Eliza stared at them in shock. "What? This is the worst timing," She groaned. "Okay, look, this Periboea. Her son was kidnapped and the two of you have to go help her get him back. He's a very strong warrior from ancient times. If he stays with Telamon, who had his men kidnap him, he'll die. Periboea will lead you there, and you'll help her. Understood?"

Luca frowned. "Sort of?"

"Good enough," Eliza pushed the three towards the ocean, where a man was sitting in the water, waiting for them with a boat.

Mari watched, confused, as Periboea dragged him into the boat. "Who is that?"

"A merman," Periboea responded, making Mari's jaw drop.

"Mermaids are real?!" She exclaimed.

"Of course," Periboea nodded, smiling as the merman ducked underwater. "Tenere," She said.

Luca frowned once more. "What does that mean?"

Suddenly, the boat began to take off quicker than they could imagine, knocking Mari and Luca off of their seats and into the floor of the boat. "I think it means hold on!"

\- PRGG -

Aiden looked in the mirror, fixing the tie on his suit as he prepared for the wedding. He still didn't really want to go, but after the night before, he was positive that October was his date, which gave him a bit of leverage.

October, meanwhile, was in the bathroom, also getting ready for the wedding. Aiden wondered how she was going to dress, or how she would look. He had never really seen her all dressed up before, and considering his mother requested he wore a suit, he wanted to know how she would look. He did know that, no matter what she wore, she would look good, but he was curious.

"You almost done?" He called to her, looking himself over once more in the mirror as he heard the bathroom door open. He turned around and was stunned. October was dressed in a beautiful, pink one-sleeved dress with tan wedges and her long black hair in a fishtail braid.

"Do I look okay? Is it too much, too little?" She asked. "I mean.. what do you think?"

He walked over to her and kissed her forehead. "I love it. You look gorgeous." October smiled as he held her in his arms. "You're perfect."

October pulled away and looked him over, fixing his tie. "There. Now, you're perfect too."

"I guess I'll always need fixing from you," He smirked. The two laughed as someone knocked on the door. He opened it to find his mother, Sheila, already in her wedding dress, looking quite distraught. "Mom?" He frowned as she pushed past him into the room and had him shut the door behind him.

Sheila noticed October immediately and smirked at her son, her problems forgotten for the moment. "You brought a date? Son, that's so great," She shook October's hand. "I'm Sheila."

"October," She responded, smiling.

Sheila smiled back and looked her over before turning back to Aiden. "Oh, she's so pretty! Sweetie, she's practically a super model!" October laughed, blushing at this statement as Aiden nodded.

"I know, she looks like it doesn't she?" Aiden looked at October, making her blush again, before turning back to his mom. "Wait, mom, what're you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be getting ready?"

"I am ready, the problem is that the wedding is not," Sheila sighed. "Our band canceled on us. We have most of the instrument players, but we're missing the main piano player and singer. Not just that, but Jim is very upset at everything. He stressed out, and I think the wedding's off," She had a tear slip down her face but quickly wiped it away. "I have to go tell everyone to clean up and stuff. I'm pretty sure it's over."

Sheila left, ignoring them trying to tell her to stop. October went up to Aiden. "We have to stop her. He have to get the wedding back on. They got us here, and it brought us closer together. We owe it to them to bring them back together."

Aiden nodded with a little smirk. "I think I know what we can do."

\- PRGG -

Arriving in Salamis, the three got off of the boat while the merman told Periboea in Greek that he would wait for her. As they regained their bearings from being on such a fast trip, Mari noticed someone familiar standing near them, with his arms crossed.

"Ryder?" She frowned, raising an eyebrow.

He walked over to them, smirked. "What took you guys so long? I've been waiting here for almost half-an-hour."

Mari scoffed. "Sorry, we were on-route merman style," She rolled her eyes. "How did you get here? And, why are you here? I thought you were sick,"

"I am," He chuckled, coughing a bit. "Either way, Liela wanted to test out her new teleportation feature for long distance travels. It worked, and I'm here to help you guys get Ajax back."

Luca raised an eyebrow. "You actually know more about this than we do?"

"Yeah, because Eliza actually had time to explain things to me. Besides, I figured that I should at least get to know the mission before I show up." Ryder said. "So, I've scoped out the area and I..." He broke off when he began to cough. "Sorry, I think he's over there,"

Periboea looked over, seeing a traditional Greek wedding being set up by Telamon's men while the man stood in the middle, nodding at them as they did things right and shaking his head when they messed up. "Quod hic agatur?" She whispered.

 _What's going on here?_

Stomping over to Telamon with the rangers ready for anything, she began yelling at him in Latin. "Ubi est filius meus?! Ubi est is?! Iuro Telamon Peleus, si quid apud illum percutiamque vos feci et millies! Donec nec sit mihi propter te, et potestatem habeo condimentum ducam ad adiuvandum me fac! Et ducam te ad cuneum semidei sunt!"

Telamon began to yell back, in Greek. "Ο γιος σας?! Είναι ο γιος μου, όπως καλά! Ποτέ δεν θα τον αφήσει να πάει! Είναι εδώ για να παντρευτούν για να Eune και αυτό είναι οριστική! Δεν χρειάζεται τη συγκατάθεσή σας και εγώ βέβαιος ως κόλαση δεν χρειάζεται εδώ! Ajax είναι χαρούμενος εδώ και ποτέ δεν θα είναι τόσο ευχαριστημένοι μαζί σας!"

The rangers stared at them before a woman, dressed in a traditional Greek wedding gown, came over to them. They were immediately defensive. "Don't be afraid, I will not harm you. I am Eune."

"That guy said your name," Mari gestured to Telamon.

Eune nodded. "I am aware. He's talking about my marriage to Ajax. She's angry he kidnapped Ajax, but it's just a misunderstanding."

Ryder coughed and shook his head. "Are you saying I got out of bed with a 101 fever for a misunderstanding?"

"You shouldn't have come," Mari elbowed him. "October's gonna be pissed."

Ryder smirked. "Not if she doesn't know,"

Luca shook his head at them. "Okay, so what's going on?"

"Well, Telamon is angry with his other son, and my husband, Teucer, so he brought me here to marry his more promising son, Ajax. I don't mind," She smiled reassuringly at them. "Nor does Ajax. We will be fine, I swear. You should go back now, your work here is more than done."

"I don't mind leaving," Ryder muttered, shifting uncomfortably from his illness.

"We really should be getting back," Mari nodded.

Luca gestured to Periboea. "What about her? What do we do?"

Eune looked back, noticing the conversation dying down a bit. "I think it'll be okay. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day,"

The teens walked back to the boat before Ryder shook his head. "I'm not going in that feeling like this. If you guys got here that fast.. I'd rather go back the easy way." He pressed the sides of his locket and was suddenly swept up in a flurry of green dust, similar to the process of morphing for him.

"Yeah, that does sound easier," Mari turned to the merman. "Sorry, we're going back with him,"

"δεν υπάρχει πρόβλημα κυρία μου," The merman nodded before disappearing under the water.

 _No problem, miss._

Mari and Luca did the same as Ryder, and disappeared in a flurry of flames and water respectively.

\- PRGG -

October and Aiden rushed down to the beach, where they saw Sheila on the stage, beginning to tell people to go home. Jim was standing off to the side with his best man, looking on with his arms crossed. All of the bridesmaids stood behind him as well.

"Hold on!" Aiden exclaimed as he and October ran up to the stage and he took the microphone from his mother's hands. "Don't do this. Don't stop this wedding because there's no music, and you're stressed. Getting married is probably a stressful event, and you don't need a fancy band to get married. You have us," He gestured for her to get off of the stage, which she did, but she also shook her head.

"Aiden, there's more to it than..."

"Mom, stop. We're doing it for you," He looked out. "This is a song about love. About how, no matter what, you're always gonna and should run back to, love."

October sat down behind the piano while Aiden gave them a music sheet they printed, along with various others underneath it for after the wedding, when they all enjoyed their time on the beach.

The music began softly, before October began playing the piano along. She also had a microphone next to her.

Aiden began.

" _Six on the second hand_  
 _Two New Year's resolutions_  
 _And there's just no question_  
 _What this man should do_

 **Take all the time lost**  
 **All the days that I cost**  
 **Take what I took and**  
 **Give it back to you**

 _ **All this time**_  
 _ **We were waiting for each other**_  
 _ **All this time**_  
 _ **I was waiting for you**_  
 _ **We got all these words**_  
 _ **Can't waste them on another**_  
 _ **So I'm straight in a straight line**_  
 _ **Running back to you**_

 **I don't know what day it is**  
 **I had to check the paper**  
 **I don't know the city**  
 **But it isn't home**

 _But you say I'm lucky_  
 _To love something that loves me_  
 _But I'm torn as I could be_  
 _Wherever I roam_

 _Hear me say_

 ** _All this time_**  
 ** _We were waiting for each other_**  
 ** _All this time_**  
 ** _I was waiting for you_**  
 ** _We got all these words_**  
 ** _Can't waste them on another_**  
 ** _So I'm straight in a straight line_**  
 ** _Running back to you_**

 _Yeah, all, running back to you_  
 _All, running back to you_  
 _Yeah_  
 _Oh, every time is so far_  
 _It's just so far_  
 _To get back to where you are_

 _ **All this time**_  
 _ **We were waiting for each other**_  
 _ **All this time**_  
 _ **I was waiting for you**_  
 _ **We got all these words**_  
 _ **Can't waste them on another**_  
 _ **So I'm straight in a straight line**_  
 _ **Running back to you**_  
 _ **Straight in a straight line**_  
 _ **Running back to you**_  
 _ **Straight in a straight line**_  
 _ **Running back to you"**_

Aiden smiled back at October, who blushed at him. He turned back to the audience, where his mother was crying in the arms of Jim, who looked to be holding back tears as well.

"Mom, Jim, get married. Come on,"

Everyone clapped in agreement. The two nodded and walked up to the alter. As the pastor was talking, Aiden and October sat on the piano bench together. "I didn't know you knew how to play the piano like that."

"I didn't know you could sing like that," October commented.

Aiden nodded. "Yeah, no one really does."

October frowned. "Why not? You're an amazing singer. Really. You should be in the Glee club or choir or something."

He shook his head. "I couldn't. I mean, I love singing, but I don't really want people to know. I mean, I'd love to be a singer or something, but it's kind of something that I..."

"You're embarrassed about?" October crossed her arms, and he nodded sheepishly. "Aiden, that's so wrong. You're great, and who knows, maybe it could go somewhere someday. Plus, if you're embarrassed about something you're so good at, what else would you be embarrassed about?"

Aiden looked her over and smiled lightly. "Nothing. Not with you around. You're the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I'm gonna do everything in my power to make you know it. If you want me to tell the whole world about it, I would. I would do anything for you."

October nodded. "I know, and the first thing I'd like you to do is do something for yourself. If you want to be a singer, I want you to be. If we're gonna be in a relationship, we both have to make time for each other, and ourselves. I want you to tell people because you're confident about it. If you're not comfortable with it, I don't want you to say it. I only said that because I was worried that maybe you'd be embarrassed of me too." She looked down.

He lifted her head up and shook his head. "I'd never be embarrassed of you,"

"You may kiss the bride," The pastor said, having Jim and Sheila kiss.

Aiden smiled at October as everyone cheered and threw confetti in the air around them. He shifted his hand from her chin and put both of them on her cheeks. "I meant what I said. You're one of the best things that has ever happened to me. How could anybody be embarrassed of that?" As she smiled, he leaned forward and the two kissed.

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Guardians of the Galaxy:** Mari worries that people don't see her for who she is after she hears a few things about her from others. Meanwhile, Alice gets caught up in a battle, and when Luca sees how Aiden and October are together, he worries he's not good enough for Alice.

 **Next chapter title:** Who I Am

 **I know there was no action in this chapter, but I wanted a chapter dedicated more to the romance between October and Aiden, and I wasn't really sure how the story-line with Periboea was going to work out (it didn't really), but here the chapter.**

 **I know it's pretty long (as of now, my longest chapter written), but there's a lot into it and I personally really liked it, so I would love to hear your thoughts if you have a moment to review!**

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


	8. Ep 8: Who I Am

**Hey guys! So, someone PMed me (who reads both of my stories) and asked me why I teased a different yellow ranger for this story in a chapter of Animal Guardians, and I figured anybody who reads both probably noticed that and might think that was on accident, so here is my response to that: you'll see what happens. I can't say why, but that was not a mistake.**

 **Speaking of said character, this chapter marks her first appearance in this story, though this isn't her official introduction, which will be soon.**

 **Bella is portrayed by Naya Rivera**

 **Dani is portrayed by Cierra Ramirez**

* * *

Mari sighed as she sat down at the bleachers in the morning. She was early for school, and practice for that matter. Almost no one else was at school, but she didn't mind. She would much rather be in a place where she at least had a chance to see someone else to hang out with than be at the command center, where everyone was too busy to hang out, and there weren't even any neighbors around.

Yeah, she knew she could've invited someone over or tried to make a time to hang out with Eliza or Mason, but it was hard to find someone who wanted to. In all honesty, the only people she would even consider were any of the other rangers, but they all had their own places, and Mari didn't want to bother them by asking them to come over. They were probably busy. Especially October, who was the prime candidate for that.

No one else really wanted to hang out. Mari didn't know why, but it made her feel isolated and lonely, even with the massive amount of people at the school. It was hard to fit in, and Mari didn't want to pretend to be something else just so people would like her.

Then, she heard footsteps on the loud bleachers. She looked up to see Luca, who frowned at her.

"What're you doing here?" He asked, sitting down next to her after she gestured beside her with a smile. "I didn't know you got here this early."

Mari shrugged. "I don't know, I guess it's just boring at the command center. Eliza, Mason, and Liela are pretty much always busy, and there's no one else around. What about you? Why are you here so early?"

Luca chuckled, pulling out his sketchbook. "I always get here this early. It's nice to draw in a quiet environment. Plus, I love mornings - they're so peaceful."

She looked off, looking at the sun, which wasn't fully up in the sky yet. "Yeah, it is really peaceful. Good place to think."

"Totally," He nodded. "Even though it's school." He muttered, opening up his sketchbook.

Mari peeked over, and watched him flip through the pictures. Half of them were pictures drawn of the environment, and the other half of them were portraits of people, but all of them were very well done. "Wow, you're an amazing drawer, Luca. I didn't know you could do work like that."

He shrugged awkwardly. "Really? I was just sketching, you know? No big deal."

"Are you kidding? You should show these to people. Ooh, you could get people to pay you to draw things for them!" Mari exclaimed. "You're really good."

Luca smiled. "I don't know if I'm that good. I mean..."

"Stop," Mari grabbed him by the shoulders. "You are a really great artist. Don't be shy about that talent."

"Thanks," Luca rubbed the back of his neck, still a bit sheepish. "So, what kind of stuff do you do? I mean, you've never really said what you like to do or what you're talented at."

Mari looked away a bit uncomfortably. She didn't really think she was that good at anything. Looking through the team, she already knew that Aiden could sing, October could play the piano, and Luca could draw. Ryder she wasn't really sure about, but then again he was really good at football, being the quarterback for the last two out of three years he has been in high school.

What was she good at? She didn't have the best grades, barely made the cheer squad, and was basically the weak link on the team. 5th in command out of 5 rangers. Only in charge if she was alone, which she assumed she never will be.

She shrugged and faked a smile. "Umm.. I like makeup and shopping," She said, trying to give the impression that she was okay with that statement.

He laughed. "Is that all you do? I mean, there's more, right?"

Mari frowned at him. "Would there be something wrong if I that was it?"

"Well, no, but those aren't talents," Luca shrugged. "You must have some talent. You can't just be bad at everything.

 **\- Cue Opening -**

 _\- Flashback -_

 _Eight year old Mari walked into dance class nervously. It was her first session with her teacher, and she was a bit surprised to see all of the class there, ranging from toddlers to teenagers._

 _"Marissa," Her teacher guided her to put her things down and took her to side, where the people her age were standing. "It's great to see you." She turned to address the whole class. "Students, this is Marissa, and she will be in our class from now on."_

 _The other students made shrugs and didn't seem to care all too much. Standing next to her was eight year old Danielle Perez, Brent's twin sister and known as Dani, as well as nine year old Isabella Brown._

 _Isabella, better known as Bella, pulled Dani towards her and whispered something in her ear while looking at Mari. She pretended not to notice, especially when the girls began to laugh._

 _The teacher advised them to begin stretching on the bar while she looked over the lesson plan. The students all lined up at the bar they were suited for, according to their ages and heights, and put their feet up to stretch. Mari was on the end of the bar, looking around to see how the other girls were doing it. Catching on, she put her leg up and did what the others did._

 _One of the things she noticed, however, was that all of the girls were talking to their friends and gossiping while they did so, many of them smiling and laughing. Mari stretched sadly, noting how she was alone._

 _Then again, she didn't know anybody here, so it wasn't completely her fault that no one was engaging with her. She saw Bella and Dani next to her, and smiled when Bella saw her. She waved, and Bella gave her a strange look._

 _"What do you want, newbie?" Bella sneered, glaring at her. "We don't need any new people here to take up the spots we need to get to the competition."_ _Mari frowned as Dani and Bella laughed at her. She turned away, deciding to stretch the other leg while holding back her upset. Unfortunately, there was a mirror in front of her, allowing Bella to see everything she did, including wiping at her eyes. She laughed again. "Wow, look at the baby cry," She smirked. "That's pretty sad. Your first day, and already crying."_

 _Mari tried to ignore her, sitting on the floor and stretching more when the teacher came out and instructed their dances for the day. Because she was new, the teacher showed her just what to do before moving on to help others._

 _"Great work, Isabella," She heard the teacher complimenting her. "You're one of the best students here."_

 _Frowning deeply, Mari decided to try the next moves already, one of which included her to get up onto her toes with her ballet slippers, and eventually without them once she got good enough, but she decided to do it anyways. Getting up on her toes, she tried to lift up higher, but her toes weren't strong enough and she fell to the ground, making an audible THUD and attracting the attention of those near her._

 _Bella and Dani laughed at her fall, while Mari had tears in her eyes._ _"Come on, Marissa, you can't just be bad at everything!" She looked back at them, Bella of which seemed pleased with her fall, before running over to grab her things and run out of the class, where her stepmother was waiting for her._

 _-End of Flashback-_

Mari frowned at Luca, hurt that he thought that. "I..." Thankfully she was cut off when Alice came walking down the bleachers, greeting the two.

"Hey, babe," Luca kissed her as she sat down. "Mari and I were talking about my art,"

Alice smiled. "It's really good, isn't it?" She asked Mari, who nodded with a frown. "He's amazing," She leaned into him as he wrapped an arm around her. "Oh, October went to get changed for practice, so you probably should too."

Mari checked the time, and was surprised to see how late it was. Practice was going to start any minute. "Oh, yeah. Thanks."

She got up and walked past them, and up the bleachers. She noticed Mel also walking into the locker rooms, who bumped a few girls on the way in. Mari sighed and entered the room, walking over to her locker, which was next to October's. The pink ranger already had her pants on, and was working on putting her shirt on when she noticed her.

"Hey, Mari," She smiled. "When did you get here?"

Mari shrugged. "A while ago," She looked past October as she took out her clothes, and frowned as she saw the girl's volleyball team in the room. "Hey, why is the volleyball team here?"

October looked back and turned back to her with a strange look on her face. "I don't know. I think their putting their things away for today's game. They have to leave during 5th period so it's probably easier to put their stuff away now and get it later so they don't have to carry it around all day."

Mari found herself distracted as she put her shirt on. Looking through the team, she could see two prominent figures standing there - Bella Brown, and Dani Perez. She knew they went to Sol Valley High, but she hadn't really talked to them or seen them much since she was young.

The two were standing against the lockers, obviously gossiping. Dani was a short girl, only about 5'1 with tan skin, brown hair, and brown eyes. She wore a white crop top, black shorts, and converse. Bella, meanwhile, was 5'5 with tan skin, long brown hair, big brown eyes and a beautiful face. She had a much more classy style, wearing a yellow peplum top, white skinny jeans, and tan high-heeled booties. She also had an expensive, white tote bag.

As people began exiting the locker rooms, Bella and Dani began to walk out past the two, and Bella smirked when she saw Mari. She whispered something in Dani's ear and the two laughed. Mari tried to ignore them but Bella purposefully bumped into her, causing her to fall as she didn't expect that.

"Excuse me," October grabbed Bella's shoulder and spun her around. "Why the hell did you just do that?"

Bella feigned innocence. "What did I do?"

October rolled her eyes. "Oh please. You and I both know that you bumped into her on purpose. What's your problem?"

She scoffed. "Just because your friend is clumsy and stupid, doesn't mean that I did anything. I mean, come on, her whole personality consists of a classic stupid girl. It's just plain logic."

"It's just plain bitchy," October narrowed her eyes at her. "You don't know anything."

Bella shrugged. "That's your opinion,"

Before October could say anything else, Bella escaped the locker room with Dani by her side. She shook her head as she pulled Mari up, who had tears in her eyes. "Hey, don't listen to them," October told her, putting a hand on her shoulder. Mari shrugged it off. "I'm serious."

Mari almost glared up at her. "Really? So, what other personality traits to I have?" October opened her mouth to respond, but Mari cut her off. "Don't worry, I know what you think. It doesn't matter, anymore. That's what everybody thinks, so don't beat yourself up too much,"

Having been dressed already, Mari shut her locker and exited the locker room, trying to find a place to be alone. However, October was hot on her trail.

"Mari, stop," October called after her, jogging a bit to catch up with her when they felt their lockets get hot against their chests. "Mari," October hissed. "We have to g..." October was cut off when the two made it outside to see the attack down on the field. Aiden, Ryder, and Luca were already fight against the footsoldiers, which wasn't too hard of a job, however, there were tons.

Many of the people in the area scattered, Alice directing them to safety while attempting to stay out of the battle.

The two watched for a moment, before October saw Aiden get hit from behind and fall into a group of them. "No!" October exclaimed, running towards the bleachers and leaping down from the top of them to the bottom. Mari then watched alone, in amazement, how October did.

After jumping down, October ran into the group and jump kicked a Titan down. She grabbed another by it's arm and flipped it over her head. See them closing in on Aiden, she ran over and pulled one away, getting into the group. Grabbing the spear of the one she pulled away, October held it up as she blocked the others from coming down on her. She spun the spear around gracefully, knocking all of them down before helping Aiden up.

"You okay?" She asked, looking him over.

He quickly kissed her forehead. "Thanks to you,"

Meanwhile, Ryder flipped over one who attempted to behead him with it's spear and kicked it down in the process. He grabbed the body of that Titan and threw it into another group nearby, throwing them all to the ground.

Luca grabbed a spear that came at his chest and pushed it back before using it to flip the Titan to the ground. He kept the spear in hand and stabbed one that got close to him, before chucking the body at another.

He glanced over to October and Aiden while he continued to fight off his own group of Titans. The two were going at the Titans as a team, blocking each other from back attacks and making sure each other were safe at all times. While they did so, they were constantly looking over at each other, and assuring each other that they were fine to the other.

They made a very good couple, and it almost made Luca doubt sometimes how he and Alice were doing. Not that they weren't doing good, but it just made him insecure to see a couple like Aiden and October.

Mari, meanwhile, ran down the bleachers and through the gate onto the football field. She punched a Titan and angrily kicked another. She fought hard, and was very obviously angry and trying to prove herself against the others.

Being considered the weakest link, Mari had a bit of need to prove herself at times. She tried not to let it show, but now she didn't care. She wasn't how people saw her, and she knew it.

People saw her as a stupid person because of how much she cared about her appearance. She may not have had the best grades in the world, but the lowest grade she usually ever got was a C, and most of the time that didn't happen.

People saw her as vain, again, because of how much she cared about her appearance. In all honesty, it was more because of how deeply insecure she was about her looks, and how she was worried people wouldn't like the way she looked if she didn't do what she did. Society and social media puts a lot of pressure on people about how they should look, and Mari was a victim of giving into the pressure.

People saw her as weak because of how feminine she was. There was nothing wrong with how feminine she was, and it didn't mean she was weak.

She wasn't any of those things. She was strong, and a power ranger. She could do more than most of the people that judged her.

Speaking of the people that judged her, Mari was shocked to look over and see Bella and Dani fighting off a few Titans of their own who were inching up the bleachers. She frowned - the fact that they were fighting back was bizarre.

Bella was actually doing pretty well, in fact. She kicked a Titan down the bleachers with her stiletto heel, causing it to fly down instantly. She ducked under the swing of a spear, and punched it down as well.

Dani, on the other hand, wasn't doing so well. She was farther down the bleachers, closer to the official battle site, and was thrown over the fence between the bleachers and football field into the battle.

Alice, who was helping people get to safety, saw her and cursed under her breath. She knew how dangerous it was to get that close to a battle, but Dani was doing pretty bad against them. Sighing, she ran down the other section of the bleachers and through the gate. She ran over to Dani and helped her up, before rushing her towards the exit.

Dani ran ahead of her, but Alice, who was behind her, was spotted by a Titan. Before anyone could react, a Titan rammed into her and threw her towards the steps, where she hit her head very audibly and didn't move.

The rangers all looked over in shock.

"Alice!" October and Luca yelled, breaking away to run over there.

Luca made it over quickly but October was grabbed by a nearby Titan and thrown back to the floor. She growled and kicked it away before jumping to her feet just as more approached her.

"Get out of my way!" October sneered, punching one back.

Fighting off the ones in front of her, she failed to notice one behind her who swung his spear at her like a staff and caught her chest, knocking her to the ground and winding her. She kicked back once more, but this Titan hit her foot back with his own and kicked her in the side.

"October!" Aiden flipped over his own group and kicked the Titan down. He grabbed the spear from the Titan and used it to fight off the other ones around them before he knelt down next to October as she held her side in pain.

Nearby, Mari and Ryder were finishing off their own Titans and ran over, panting and exhausted. Aiden, despite October's protests, lifted her up as she winced again. They heard sirens coming.

"There are ambulances coming," Mari pointed out.

Aiden nodded, looking towards October. "You need to get checked out."

"No, I'm fine." October protested, though was still holding onto her side in pain. "Alice is hurt, we have to help her."

"Yeah, well, you're hurt too," He looked up at Ryder. "Tell her."

"Unfortunately, I agree with Aiden," Ryder muttered, giving Aiden a look while he said that. He still wasn't happy about the two getting together, but he wasn't about to complain at the moment. "You should get checked out."

Luca, meanwhile, picked Alice up and held her against him. She was unconscious, and bleeding heavily from her head. He put his hand against her wound, trying to stem the blood flow as he looked over at the rangers. Aiden had already picked up October similarly from the ground and was holding her very protectively. He watched as the red ranger kissed his girlfriend on the head and then walked up the stairs to get her to a better location.

Luca was about to do the same when he saw paramedics rushing towards him. They all began talking very fast to each other and snatched Alice from his hands, leaving him alone with Alice's blood over him.

He walked up to steps to where Mari was standing as they watched Aiden and Ryder both convince the paramedics to let them ride to the hospital with October.

"Aren't you going with Alice?" Mari looked up at him.

Luca sighed. "Her injury is pretty bad. I don't think they want me to ride with her in that state."

Mari nodded in understanding. "I'm sorry,"

He shrugged with pursed lips. "You shouldn't apologize for something you can't do anything about." He said bitterly. "Besides, you're not exactly the type to feel sorry for others, even if you didn't do anything wrong. You just do things without caring about the consequences, don't you?"

Luca walked off as Mari stared after him, hurt by his statements. "Screw you," She muttered under her breath, fighting back the tears that so easily came lately.

\- PRGG -

At the hospital, Aiden and Ryder awkwardly stood next to each other next to the bed that October was sitting on, while she got examined by a female doctor. The doctor had her lift up her shirt just below her bra to look at the damage. She prodded the area lightly, and October cringed.

"I'm fine, right?" She asked.

The doctor wrote something down. "Better than you could be. Just a few bruised ribs, but you're lucky they didn't break. Just take some ibuprofen and rest a bit, and you should be fine." She turned back to Ryder and Aiden, who looked uncomfortable standing so close to each other, though it was a small area and they had no choice. "Who are you?"

"Aiden, her boyfriend," Aiden spoke up, smiling awkwardly.

Ryder rolled his eyes. "I'm her brother, Ryder. I'll make sure she gets home and does what she needs."

The doctor nodded, and turned back to October. "You should be able to leave now. You're lucky you have these two, they obviously care a lot about you."

October smiled and chuckled. "I know. Thank you so much," The doctor smiled back at her before walking off to tend to other patients, while October turned to the two and shook her head. "You two look very uncomfortable."

"Do we?" Ryder asked. "Cause I'm not if Aiden isn't."

Aiden gave him a strange look. "What do you mean? I never said I was uncomfortable." He then walked over to October and gave her his hand to get off of the bed. "You gonna go check on Alice?"

October nodded. "Yeah. I really hope she's alright,"

As she walked off in search of Luca, Aiden watched after her. Ryder scoffed at him. "What?" Aiden asked, frowning. "Do you have a problem?"

Ryder shrugged nonchalantly. "I never said I had a problem," He mocked.

Aiden rolled his eyes as Ryder walked in front of him and began to walk away. "Ryder, what..." He grabbed his arm to stop him, in which Ryder immediately reacted to. He ripped his own arm out of his grasp and pulled Aiden's arm behind his back. Doctors nearby that noticed what was going on began to call security.

"Don't touch me," Ryder warned. "And stop whatever you think you're doing with my sister. I don't trust you one bit,"

"Get off of him," He heard a voice behind him and turned in time to see security grab him off of Aiden.

Ryder struggled to get out of the burly guard's arms, as he was holding him back while another guard looked over Aiden, who looked back at him. Ryder glared at him as he felt a prick in his arm and saw Aiden stare in shock.

"Wha..." He suddenly felt sluggish and turned to see a doctor next to him with a shot in hand. Suddenly, everything went black.

Aiden watched the doctor inject Ryder with a sedative with wide eyes. He saw the green ranger quickly slow down his movements before falling unconscious in the guard's arm.

"Holy shit," Aiden whispered, startled by what just happened. "Why did you that?" He asked the doctor, who looked at him strangely as October, who had heard the commotion as she walked away, returned to the room, and, in shock, stood back and watched.

"This young man attacked you. I sedated him to keep him calm," The doctor explained, as if it was obvious. "When he wakes, we will have an officer here to handle this."

Aiden glared at him. "It wasn't like that. It was just a simple dispute. He's unhappy and doesn't trust me because I'm dating his sister. That's all. It wasn't going to go anywhere further. We don't need an officer involved."

The doctor eyed him warily. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," Aiden nodded, stepping away from the security guard next to him.

The doctor sighed, and gestured to a stretcher nearby for the guard still supporting Ryder. "Take him to a recovery room." The guard did as he was told, and the room began to pan out, except for Aiden, who was shocked to see October standing nearby, looking at him with a look he couldn't decipher.

"October, I am so sorry," He walked towards her, talking quickly. "I don't know what happened. We were talking and he said something and he tried to go somewhere so I tried to stop him and talk it through but he got really pissed and..." He was cut off when October launched herself into his arms. Shocked, he slowly wrapped his arms around her. "You're not mad?"

She shook her head into his chest. "No," She said. "I know how Ryder can be, and you just saved us. If an officer got involved in whatever happened, Ryder wouldn't be living with me anymore. You saved my family, and I know you didn't mean to start whatever happened. Ryder's just really aggressive."

Aiden kissed her head. "I still feel like I need to make this right. I don't know what to do."

October pulled away and looked up at him. "Honestly, I don't think there's anything you can do. That's just how Ryder is, and if he doesn't trust you with me, that's his problem, not ours. We just have to be who we can, keep doing what we do, and let Ryder figure for himself. Trust me, I've tried way too many times to do what you're doing and it hasn't worked yet."

Aiden looked her over and nodded with a pondering look on his face. "Okay, you're probably right. Besides, it's not like he's gonna find anything to give him a reason not to trust me - I would never do something like that to you."

"I trust you," October smiled, kissing him on the cheek. "I should probably find out where they're taking him. When he comes back to reality, I'll, at least, try to talk to him. You should go see if you can find Luca or Mari."

"Alright, I'll go see what's going on,"

\- PRGG -

Luca sat in an uncomfortable chair in Alice's room, as they listened quietly to her dad talking to the doctor outside. She had a pretty severe concussion and the doctors stitched up the gash in her head. She really felt lucky it wasn't anything worse, because the impact was quite hard and the doctors were even worried that she could have internal bleeding in her brain.

Luca, meanwhile, looked over at her in the very dimly lit room. Due to her concussion, the lights had been turned down very low, but not so low that the two couldn't see each other.

Alice noticed him staring, and looked over at him. "What?"

"I..." He shrugged. "I don't know. It's not that important - you should take it easy and rest."

She raised an eyebrow at him and rolled her eyes. "Luca, just tell me what's going on."

Luca sighed. "I just don't feel like I'm that good of a boyfriend to you. I mean, I'm a power ranger and I let you get hurt."

"You didn't _let_ me get hurt. You were fighting off the other monsters and saving people. You were busy, and it's not your fault that you didn't catch it in time. Nobody, including me, saw that coming." She put her hand on his, which was resting on the side of the bed. "Don't beat yourself up."

"Well, it's not just that," He muttered. "I see how other couples, like Aiden and October, act. They just seem so much better off than we do."

"Luca, they're probably in the honeymoon phase, if anything," Alice chuckled. "We been together for.. what's coming up to be year. We still love each other, and we still do the things they do. It's just different for us because we've already done so much together that it's not as exciting as the first time. Not that it's not still exciting, but it's not the same. If we had just gotten together or were doing new things, it would be different. Sol Valley just isn't big enough, and is too expensive to do all of the things we want to do."

Luca looked at her for reassurance. "You're sure?"

She smiled. "Of course. Now, come here and give me a kiss because I'm cute, and then we can watch some TV."

He laughed and kissed her on the lips before sitting back down in his chair and scooting up beside her.

\- PRGG -

October was the first thing Ryder saw when he came to, and he was really confused. She looked pretty upset, and he didn't seem to be in any place of recognition. He frowned groggily up at her.

"What's up?" He slurred. "Where are we?"

October crossed her arms. "The hospital. You remember what happened?"

He thought back on it through his foggy mind, and, after a few moments, vaguely remembered what happened. "Yeah, your boyfriend's a douche."

She rolled her eyes. "Actually, my brother's a douche."

"Harsh," Ryder mumbled, still pretty foggy from the sedative. "I'm just trying to protect you. I don't want him to hurt you cause I know how he is."

October sighed. She couldn't be necessarily mad at that explanation. "You don't have to worry about that, because you only know how he _used to_ be, not how he is now, but I do, and I trust him. Besides that, you have no right to interfere in my love life, especially this way. You know, if Aiden didn't say anything, they would've called the cops on you, and you know what's gonna come of that."

"I don't care," Ryder shook his head tiredly. "I don't trust him at all, especially not with dating you. When he hurts you, I'm going to hurt him."

" _If_ and I don't think he will," October said confidently. "I trust Aiden more than most people, and I know it'll end up great."

Ryder stared at her for a moment. "Just remember what I said, O. Besides, you think he's changed so much, but some people don't change."

"Aiden isn't 'some people,'" October told him. "He has changed, and I know it."

\- PRGG -

Meanwhile, Mari sat in the waiting room, not necessarily knowing what to do. She didn't know where anyone but Luca went off to, and she wasn't looking to make friends with him at the moment.

She could definitely understand him lashing out because of the high pressure in the situation, but, not only was he completely out of line, he also wasn't the type of person to do something like that. Luca tended to be calm and kind, and if he was ever not, it usually wasn't on purpose.

Mari looked up when she heard footsteps, and saw Aiden walk in. He spotted her as well and walked over to sit next to her.

"Where's Luca?" He asked, looking around.

She gestured vaguely down the hall. "He's with Alice. She's fine besides the concussion and stitches." She said.

Aiden seemed to notice something was off about the yellow ranger, and frowned. "Is everything okay, Mari?"

Mari looked over at him. "Is it that obvious?"

"Sort of," Aiden nodded. "What's going on?"

She sighed. "I don't know.. I guess I just feel like nobody sees me for who I really am, you know? I'm not just some popular, rich, stupid, girly-girl like everyone thinks I am. I lost all of my money, I've never been popular, and I'm not stupid. Also, just because I'm girly, doesn't mean that I'm not tough too. People would really be surprised if they knew the real me."

Aiden pursed his lips. "I know what you mean. I feel like, even though I've changed, people still don't see me as a nice guy. I'm still the douche Aiden who nobody actually likes, but pretend to like anyway."

"Yeah, I hate people like that. I used to think I had so many friends, but when I started to really hang out with you guys, I realized that all of the people I thought were my friends weren't. They never asked where I was or texted me, and they don't even talk to me anymore. They just look over at me like I'm less than them." Mari told him.

"You're not less than them," Aiden assured her. "You never will be less than them. People like that aren't worth your time, and they'll never understand what it's like to be a genuine person. They'll always look down on all of real people, so they can dignify how fake they are. Don't let them get to you like that. You shouldn't care about what others think of you, because, at the end of the day, all you're gonna have if yourself."

"But that's so lonely," Mari rubbed her arm as she looked at the floor. "I hate feeling lonely. It's the worst feeling in the world."

Aiden shrugged. "Sometimes, you just have to embrace being lonely, especially because, sometimes, there's nothing you can do about it. Besides, you could always take that alone time to discover yourself. Maybe, once you get to know yourself, you might not feel as lonely. It's just like they say, 'sometimes, you have to be your own friend.'" He smiled at her. "But, just so you know, you don't have to feel lonely with us. Me, October, Ryder, and Luca - we'll be here for you when you need it. Don't feel like you have to hide from us." His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he check it. "I have to go see October, but you should think about it. I'll talk to you later,"

Mari watched Aiden leave and thought about what he said. Maybe she could be her own friend, and, if she needed another, she had the others to count on. She smiled to herself a bit.

 _You know what, he's right. I don't need all of those fake people, and I don't need their opinions. I'm me - the_ real _me - and that's what matters._

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Guardians of the Galaxy:** Mel is caught cheating on Ryder, and October decides it's time to confront her once and for all. Meanwhile, with Alice in the hospital, Luca uses his time to make it up to Mari for what he said, all while Mari tries to help a strange woman find her ex-husband, who cheated on her while they were married.

 **Next chapter title:** Cheater, Cheater

 **Here's the next chapter, and sorry if it's a bit screwed up near the lower half - I was writing that on one hour of sleep. Either way, I really liked the emotion in this chapter, as I can relate to Mari's struggle and I wanted to make her more in depth than just a very girly, and somewhat rude person.**

 **I hope you liked it anyways, though, and there's also a new poll in my bio, if you'd like to check that out, I'd be very appreciative!**

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


	9. Ep 9: Cheater, Cheater

**Hey guys, I was going to update this earlier but I've been working on my new story, Power Rangers: Emergency Responders! Check it out if you have time! I know it's a new story, which probably means I'm going to be a bit obsessed with it for a while, but I promise I'll try not to forget about this one!**

 **Also, this chapter marks the first appearances of the being that the rangers deal with (I don't want to give it away), which will show up at least a few times. Oh, and, as for the flashbacks, keep in mind that this story takes place in the 2023-2024 range.**

* * *

At the hospital, Alice was resting in bed. There wasn't much she could do with her concussion - any kind of light hurt her head, making her unable to watch TV, or even read. Occasionally, she would watch people out in the hall just to pass the time.

She heard someone walk slowly near her room, and opened her eyes in case it was Luca, October, or her father. When she opened them, she was startled to see a strange woman peering into her room through the window.

Alice stared at her in a bit of shock at first, unaware of what to do in a situation like this. The door wasn't closed, so Alice could yell to her to leave, but she wasn't sure if she was allowed to do so in a hospital. She began to gestured at the woman to get her to leave.

The woman stared at her in confusion for a moment before moving to stand in the doorway. Alice observed her in slight fear of who this woman was and what she could do. The young woman had lightly tanned skin, short chestnut hair, and piercing blue eyes. She wore a light red dress with no shoes on, and looked a bit disheveled.

"Who are you?" Alice asked, pushing herself back in her bed a bit.

The young woman blinked before looking down at herself. "Penny." She responded, sounding uncertain, while also slightly monotone. "My name is Penny."

Alice nodded slowly. "Okay, Penny, what are you doing in my room?"

Penny looked around the room. "I don't know. Am I at the hospital? How did I get here?"

"I have no idea," Alice sat up, feeling a bit of concern for her. "Do you need me to call a nurse? Are you alright? If you don't remember how you got here, you should be seeing a doctor."

Alice was about to press the call button when Penny ran at her. Alice cowered away and covered her face with her hands in case the woman got violent, but, after a moment of nothing happening, she put her hands down to see nothing there.

"Penny?" She asked carefully. "Are you still in here?"

"Who's Penny?" A voice asked from the doorway, startling Alice. She turned to see October standing there with her backpack on her shoulder and a confused look on her face.

Alice frowned as October sat down in the chair next to her bed and began to taking out sandwiches for the two. "I honestly have no idea. Did you see a woman running out of here? Looking about 20-25ish?"

"No," October shook her head, giving her a look. "Why? Was someone in here?"

"Well, I thought so. Maybe it's just because my head is all messed up, but I swear I saw someone."

"It's probably nothing," October said. "But it also might be something. If I hear about a woman for anything like what you're telling me, I look into it, alright?"

Alice nodded. "Alright. Hopefully it's nothing."

"Yeah, hopefully," The pink ranger muttered under her breath.

 **\- Cue Opening -**

 _\- Flashback -_

 _September 20, 2016_

 _"Come on, Gina, it can't be that bad," Penny chuckled lightly to her long time friend. "Really, how bad could it be?"  
_

 _Gina started to bite her nails, a bad habit she bore whenever she was nervous, or distracted. At this moment, it was the former. Gina had pale skin, dark hair, and green eyes. She had freckles sprinkled over her face, an wore casual attire. Penny hit her hand lightly. "Stop biting your nails. Tell me!"_

 _She chuckled uncomfortably. "It's really not that important. We could always talk about it some other time, you know."_

 _Penny rolled her eyes. "And why would we do that?"_

 _"Well..."_

 _"Gina," Penny interrupted her. "You wouldn't have told me to come here if it was nothing. What's going on?"_

 _"Penny, you don't understand," Gina shook her head. "It's bad, and I don't think it's a good idea to tell you, honestly. I thought about it, and I could always handle it on my own."_

 _Penny frowned. "Who exactly is this about? I mean, either way I want to know, but if something's going on that I don't know about, I'd to know."_

 _"Umm.. you, but... It's complicated." Gina looked away a bit guiltily._

 _The other young woman sighed. "Gina, this is obviously really important. Please tell me."_

 _Gina looked up at her nervously, before nodding. "Okay, so, here's the thing..."  
_

 _\- End of Flashback -_

"Oh, I have to tell you something else," Alice said, catching October by the arm as she was about to take a bite of her sandwich.

October nodded slowly. "Okay, I'm excited to hear this, but can I eat my sandwich while you tell me? I haven't had anything to eat all day."

Alice frowned, letting go of her arm. "Really? Why not?"

The pink ranger shrugged. "Well, Ryder was making me really late, and I forgot to grab something to eat in the morning before we left, even though he did," October rolled her eyes. "Now, tell me."

"Okay, so Luca told me that he saw Mel here when he was leaving the other day," Alice said, taking a bite of her own sandwich, and chewing before continuing. "I know that doesn't seem important, but Luca said he saw her with a guy, who she hugged very intimately as he was getting checked out for something."

"What?" October frowned deeply. She knew Mel was low, but she didn't expect her to be cheating, if that's what she was doing. "Did he see anything else?"

Alice nodded. "Luca said that after the hug, Mel looked around nervously and closed the curtain around the bed in the ER." She raised her eyebrows. "You know what that means."

"Yeah, I do." October said, looking down in anger. Not only did she already hate Mel for more reasons than she could count, but now she was cheating on Ryder? October was furious. "Did Luca see who this guy was?"

"No, but we need to find out." Alice responded. "Or, you do and give me all the details. I can't really leave."

October growled under her breath. "I'm going kill her." She looked up. "I hate this bitch so much, and now she's cheating on _my brother_? Yeah, I don't think so." October stood up and grabbed her bag. "Sorry, Alice, I'll see you later. I have a monster to kill."

\- PRGG -

Mari was sitting on the couch in the command center, watching Dustlands on Netflix. The show had already ended, but she had never gotten into it and decided to watch it from the beginning. She was only halfway through the first episode, though she was really liking it so far.

Then, she had to pause it as Luca entered, coming over to sit on a chair near her.

"Yeah?" She asked, wondering why he was staring at her.

Luca sighed. "How could you let me talk to you like that the other night?" He crossed his arms. "You just let me be a jerk and didn't say anything about it."

Mari raised an eyebrow at you. "Is this your way of apologizing or something?"

He put his hands up. "Look, I just don't get it. You should've yelled at me or something." Luca shook his head. "I want to make it up to you; I'll do anything."

"Shouldn't you be with your girlfriend?"

"No, she's with October," Luca said. "Just tell me anything. Please. I feel like a jerk."

Mari put a hand on his shoulder. "Luca, you were stressed - I get it. It's okay."

"It's not okay," Luca told her, taking her hand off of his shoulder. "Just let me do something for you. Anything. I can't handle guilt like this."

"Okay," Mari sighed. "Umm.. go to the mall," She suggested. "Just you, and buy something for your girlfriend. That's what I want you to do, and that will make me very happy."

"Really?" He asked, looking her over skeptically. "Are you sure that's what you want?"

"I'm sure." Mari nodded with a small smile gracing her face. "She's gonna love it, and it's going to mean a lot to her that you did that. Also, don't tell her that I told you to do it."

Luca stood up. "If you're sure."

"I am," Mari assured him, and watched him leave slowly. "I hope your girlfriend likes it."

"I have a feeling that you hope he buys you something," A voice said from behind her, startling her. She turned back towards the TV, where a woman in a light red dress stood. "It's hard loving someone who loves someone else, isn't it?"

 _\- Flashback -_

 _September 20, 2016_

 _Penny and Gina stood outside of the coffee shop where a man was sitting, talking to another young woman. Penny stared at them, frowning almost devastatedly at them._

 _"Is that..." Penny trailed off, not even wanting to say it, as it would make it all the more real. She couldn't believe it._

 _Gina nodded sympathetically. "That's James," She sighed. "I'm so sorry, Penny." Gina reached her hand out to touch Penny's, but she pulled it away suddenly._

 _"Don't," She warned her. "Please, don't touch me." Penny looked back through the window as James looked around nervously before kissing the woman. "Is that_ Tanya _with him? His ex-girlfriend from high school?"_

 _Gina looked with her. "Oh my god, I think that is. I though he was over her a long time ago."_

 _Penny glared through the window. "I did too, but I guess the flame never died."_

 _"Well, they were high school sweethearts," Penny turned her glare on Gina as she said this. "Hey, I'm sorry but it's true. Penny, I'm not siding with him or her, but you have to understand t_ _hat I've been in their shoes before. There's always that one person you never forget about, and that's.. well, it's love, and you can't stop love."_

 _Gina shrunk back as Penny gave her the most disgusted look she had ever seen on another person. "You are_ not _my best friend if you're siding with them. I will never forgive you for this, Gina." She stood up and slammed her chair into the table, creating a loud noise that attracted a lot of attention, including James' and Tanya's. "Goodbye, to all three of you." Penny growled as she stormed off._

 _\- End of Flashback -_

Mari stared at the young woman in shock, looking her up and down. "Who are you, and how did you get in here?" She reached her hand up to touch her morpher, when the young woman put her hand up.

"I'm Penny," She told her. "I need help, and I've heard that the Power Rangers are the perfect people to help."

Mari stared at her for a moment in shock. "Hold on, how do you know that?"

Penny shrugged. "I don't know, but I do. I met your friend's girlfriend, Alice, and I got the information from being around her. It's kind of strange, actually - almost as if I can read minds."

"You can?" Mari asked, frowning in confusion. She shook her head. "Okay, well, what do you need?"

She looked at her strangely. "Well, I was going to ask the blue eyed girl, October, but I don't feel that I can relate to her in this issue. With you, I can."

"What?" Mari rubbed a hand over her face. "I honestly have no idea what's going on."

Penny sighed exasperatedly. "I need you to help me find my cheating boyfriend." She sat down on the chair Luca had just been sitting on. "You see, I feel like you can help me because you have feelings for someone who loves someone else, and so do I, I just didn't know about it."

Mari frowned. "What do you mean?"

She rolled her eyes. "Marissa, I can read minds. I know you have feelings for Luca."

"No, Luca is just a good friend," Mari told her. "Just because he's attractive doesn't mean that I have feelings for him."

"So you admit he's attractive, then?"

Mari gave her a look. "Penny, people can think other's are attractive without wanting more, okay? I mean, yes, obviously Luca is attractive; I mean, have you seen the guy? But that's still not enough to make a difference."

"Okay," Penny nodded slowly. "But, you do like his personality and everything too."

"That still doesn't mean I have feelings for him." Mari shook her head. "Why am I even talking about this with you, anyways? I don't even know you, and I think you should leave."

Mari stood up to escort her out, but Penny grabbed her arm. "Wait, please help me!" She exclaimed. "I don't remember much, but I did confront him. After that, it's all blank. Please, help me find him."

The yellow ranger sighed. "Alright, I'll help you."

Just as they were about to leave, however, Eliza appeared and grabbed Mari's arm, dragging her off to the side. "Wait, I have to tell you something," She said, looking serious.

\- PRGG -

October ended up at Fred's Frozen Yogurt, finding Aiden standing there waiting for her. When she got near him, he turned towards her, arms open in question as he looked her over.

"Hey, what's the emergency?" He asked.

October looked around before pulling him to sit down at a table. "I found something out, and I need your help to deal with it, okay?"

Aiden nodded. "Yeah, of course. What's going on, O?" He heard footsteps approaching, and turned to see Ryder walking over with a strange look on his face. "Wait, is he helping too?"

"Help with what?" Ryder asked, sitting in the seat October pulled out for him. "Is something going on that I should know about?" He was still stuck on the fact that Aiden was a jerk and someone who wouldn't and hasn't changed, making him a bit angry to be sitting here with him.

"Yeah, but not with me and Aiden," October said. "I brought him here to be a middle man if an argument should break out during this conversation."

"Wait, what?" Aiden and Ryder said in unison, sharing looks.

Ryder put his hands up to stop them from talking. "Hold on, no matter what you say he's going to side with you cause he wants to get in your pants."

Aiden glared at him. "First of all, I'm dating your sister because I love her, not for sex. Second of all, I don't even know what this conversation is about, nor did I know that that was why I was coming here. Don't assume before you find out the truth."

"Okay, enough," October rolled her eyes. "This is a serious conversation, alright?" The two quieted and looked to her, egging her on to speak. "Thank you. Okay, Ryder, Alice told me that Luca saw Mel at the hospital with another guy." She paused, waiting for Ryder's reaction. "He told her that she hugged him for a while before closing the curtains around the bed in the ER."

Ryder was quiet, before he looked his sister in the eyes. "Again, really?"

October frowned. "What?"

"You're accusing Mel of doing something wrong, like you always do," Ryder rolled his eyes. "Really, October, this is pathetic."

She scoffed. "I'm dead serious, Ryder. She could be cheating on you, and I want to get to the bottom of it."

Ryder shook his head. "You _always_ do stuff like this. Look, I get you don't like her and that you two have history or whatever, but that doesn't mean that she's trying to get back at your or something by dating me."

"I'm not saying that," October growled. "I'm trying to look out for you. If she's doing things with other guys, you should be upset with her."

"No, I shouldn't," Ryder said. "Because I don't trust what you're saying."

"You don't trust _me_? Your older sister who has looked out for you your whole life?" She looked to Aiden. "Help me."

Aiden sighed. "October, this is kind of like the boy who cried wolf. If you're always accusing Mel of doing something, Ryder would be less and less inclined to believe you every time. I'm sorry."

"I get how that might be, but this time I'm telling the truth!" October exclaimed. "Someone has to believe me!"

Ryder stood up. "Yeah, well, it's not going to be me."

As he walked away, October turned back to Aiden. "You believe me, though, right?"

"Of course I do," Aiden took her hand across the table. "We just have to come up with an idea to prove it to him."

 _\- Flashback-_

 _September 20, 2016_

 _Penny went to her shared apartment with James and slammed her bag down, screaming in the process._

 _"I hate him, I hate him, I HATE HIM!" She screamed, swiping his things off of a desk nearby. "He doesn't deserve me, and neither does Gina!" She grabbed a picture of the three of them and smashed it on the ground before stepping on it and crushing it._

 _She went into their bedroom and began to raid his closet, throwing all of his clothes out of the fourth story window down onto the grass below. She also began to throw all of his belongings out until she came across a red dress in the closet._

 _Penny admired the red dress, rubbing her hand on it and looking it over. She took the dress down from the rack and looked at herself in the mirror with it in front of her body. Her eyes were tear stained and had mascara rubbed all over her face, but she thought she never looked better._

 _She took the dress into the bathroom and slipped it on before rubbing all of her makeup off. She looked at herself in the mirror stoically before taking out her makeup and doing a full face to match the elegance of the dress._

 _Looking at herself after she was done, she smirked at how she looked._

 _"Wow, I almost don't look crazy," She chuckled humorlessly._

 _Penny left the bathroom and stood in the kitchen, beginning to make dinner. As she did so, she grabbed rat poison from under the sink, putting it in the soup she was making before putting it back._

 _She finished cooking when she heard the door open. She took the soup and turned to James with a sweet smile. "Hello, James. I cooked a meal for us."  
_

 _\- End of Flashback -_

Mari and Penny were walking around town when the latter noticed something in a shop. It was a TV, and on it was the news. She pointed to the newscaster, and felt anger well up inside of her.

"Why the hell is Tanya on television?" She growled, grabbing Mari roughly by the arm and pulling her over to the TV.

Mari frowned, pulling her arm carefully out of Penny's grasp. "Umm.. that's Tanya Burks, the reporter for channel 6. She's been on that channel since 2022. I figured everyone would know about her."

Penny looked over at her like she was crazy. "2022? It's 2016, and, the last time I checked, that came before 2022."

Mari chuckled awkwardly. "No, it's 2024. 2016 was, like, 8 years ago. If it was then, I'd be 8."

"No way," Penny shook her head, but she could sense that Mari was telling the truth. "That's impossible. The last thing I remember was 2016."

"I know that," Mari looked sympathetically at her. "Before we left Eliza told me what happened. Penny, I don't know how to put this in a way you'll understand, but you died that night." She said, causing Penny to stare at her in shock. "I'm so sorry."

Penny was distraught. "No, that.. that can't be true. How would I be here then?"

"Because you're a spirit, Penny. A restless one, at that. You appear every year on this day in that hospital to find your boyfriend, but you never do." Mari said. "You need to be put to rest."

Penny stepped back a bit from her, shaking he head. "No, that's not possible! That can't happen!"

 _\- Flashback -_

 _September 20, 2016_

 _"I can't believe you would do this to me, James!" Penny yelled, after James refused to eat the soup. She took the bowl and threw it at him._

 _James ducked under the large bowl, allowing it to break against the wall and make soup fly everywhere. "What the hell?" He looked at Penny, who was seething in anger. "What is wrong with you?!"_

 _"I know you know what I saw!" She yelled, walking towards him with her finger pointed at her, not every bothering to worry about her bare feet with the bowl shards everywhere. "You kissed Tanya! You're cheating on me!"_

 _"Yeah, because Tanya's not crazy like you!" He yelled back at her, kicking part of the bowl away from him. "Sometimes I have to get away from my crazy bitch of a girlfriend!"_

 _Penny grabbed a nearby fork and threw it at him, hitting him in the arm. "Fuck you, James!"_

 _She pushed him down and grabbed the car keys he set down on the table. She ran out of the door, him following fast after her. "Where are you going with my damn keys?!" He exclaimed, following her up the stairs and onto the top level of the parking garage._

 _She turned a certain corner, losing him for a bit, and he wandered around the parking garage cautiously. "Penny, get out here!" He called to her._

 _Suddenly, he heard an engine rev from behind him. He turned around slowly to see Penny sitting in the driver's seat, tears streaming down her face. He screamed at her to stop, but she shook her head._

 _"I'm sorry, James, but you've done this one too many times," She stomped her foot on the gas, and closed her eyes._

 _Outside of the car, James jumped to the side, but Penny, who had her eyes closed, didn't see how close she was to the edge. James yelled her name, but all she refused to open her eyes, allowing the darkness to overcome her._

 _That was all she saw._

 _\- End of Flashback -_

Penny looked up at Mari, furious. "You knew I was dead and you didn't tell me?!" She roared. "You've just been letting me drag you around, acting like it was all fine?!"

Mari put her hands out. "Penny, I'm sorry. I thought you knew!"

"Well, I didn't!" Penny exclaimed, hitting Mari's hands away from her as quickly as she could. "I'll never be able to rest until I find and kill that son of a bitch!"

As she was about to run away, Mari grabbed her by the arms. "Hold on, you can't do that!"

Penny shoved her off. "Don't you dare touch me! You have no right! I'll kill you too, and, since I'm a ghost, no one will believe you!"

Mari shook her head, "Penny, you need to stop. This isn't right! I get that James cheated, but that doesn't mean you should kill him! He doesn't deserve that! You could've just broken up with him and found someone better!"

"I'd never find anyone better! James was my true love and he betrayed me!" Penny growled. "And you.. You're no better than he is!"

Mari tried to say something else, but Penny had had enough of her. She grabbed her arm and pulled her into an alleyway nearby. Penny shoved her to the ground before grabbing her by the hair and slamming her head into the ground. Mari didn't move.

Penny smirked, dusting herself off. "Now, to go see a certain someone."

\- PRGG -

October saw Aiden come back into Fred's, nodding his head and holding his phone up for her to see. On it was a picture of Mel kissing another guy - one she knew, in fact.

"Is that who I think it is?" October took the phone out of his hand, zooming in on the guy's face.

Aiden nodded. "Yes it is. Rival school quarterback, Lenny Fields. Luckily for us, I happen to know a guy who knows him, and who might have told him to bring his girlfriend here in a few minutes. He thinks just Fred is working," Aiden gestured to the older man who was wiping down a table. "And, that no one else is here."

October smirked. "Wow, you're pretty smart," She got up on her toes and kissed him. "You're the best, you know that?"

He returned the kiss with a smirk of his own. "I know, but what are we gonna do about Fred?"

"I got that," October assured him, walking over to the older man. "Hey, Fred, can you do me a favor?"

Fred looked over at her and nodded. "Sure, October, what do you need?"

"So, Mel, Ryder's girlfriend, has been cheating on him, and Aiden and I are trying to catch her in the act. Think you could get their pay and stuff, then go into the back while we handle this?" October asked. "I know it's a lot to ask, and I know it's kind of strange, but it's for my brother."

"Say no more," Fred said. "Anything for my godchildren."

October and Aiden stashed themselves in the back and hid while Fred stood behind the counter, waiting for the two to come in. October texted Ryder to meet her at Fred's as an apology.

"So, wait, Fred is your godfather?" Aiden asked, frowning in confusion.

October nodded. "Yeah, you didn't know that?"

Aiden shook his head. "No, I never would've guessed. Who's your godmother?"

"My dad said he'd leave that up to Fred to figure out, if you get what I mean," October chuckled. Then, she heard the door chime and the two got quiet as the peered out into the otherwise empty shop, besides for Fred, Lenny, and Mel. "I knew it!" October nudged Aiden.

"I never doubted you," Aiden nodded.

They watched and waited while Mel and Lenny paid before sitting at a table, quietly talking to themselves. Fred walked back, and gave October and Aiden a thumbs up, saying he would be opening boxes in the back.

Just as they were about to walk out, the door chimed again. Ryder had walked in, right as Mel kissed Lenny. October and Aiden rushed out of the back, seeing Ryder standing there, staring at Mel.

"What the hell is going on?" Ryder asked, anger and betrayal in his voice. "You're cheating on me?"

Mel stood up, pointing at October. "She set me up! I thought we would be alone, and you'd never have to find out about this!"

Ryder scoffed. "Yeah, I don't doubt that she did set you up, but that doesn't mean you weren't with this guy! My rival! Oh, and the fact that you think it's okay to cheat as long as the other person doesn't find out about it.. yeah, no. We're done, Melissa." He gave her a disgusted look. "I don't ever want to see your face again."

He stormed out of the shop, slamming the door behind him. October then stormed over to her and grabbed her by the hair. "Hey, Mel, this is payback for everything you've ever done for me! Fuck you!" She screamed, dragging her out of the shop and practically throwing her out. She turned to Lenny, "And you need to get out before the same thing happens to you."

Lenny nodded and left the shop quickly, leaving Aiden to engulf October in a hug. "Hey, can you tell Fred that I left? I have to go talk to Ryder." October told him.

"Yeah, go ahead." Aiden nodded. "He's lucky to have an older sister like you, you know?"

October smiled, kissing him on the cheek. "I know. I'll see you later."

"Bye," Aiden kissed her on the forehead, letting her go.

\- PRGG -

Mari took in a deep breath as she suddenly regained consciousness. Her head hurt badly, and she was sure she at least had a mild concussion, but she also knew that she had to save James.

Getting up slowly, she lifted her morpher to her lips. "Luca, are you there?"

 _"Yeah, what's going on?"_ Luca's voice quickly came through the morpher.

"Can you meet me at the Valley Apartments? I think I'm gonna need some back up."

Meanwhile, at said apartments, an older James had parked his car and went to the edge of the parking garage roof, in a blocked off area that was Penny's death location from eight years prior.

He sighed, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Penny."

"Not sorry enough!" He heard a voice yell from behind him, and he turned to see his car behind him. In the driver's seat, to his amazement, was Penny.

He stared in shock. "Penny?"

She smirked evilly. "Yep, Penny's back!"

"That's impossible! Who the hell are you?" James yelled, walking forward a bit, though he stopped when Penny revved the engine. "Whoa, stop! Who are you?!"

"It's Penny!" James turned to see Mari and Luca running up to him, Mari looked more than a bit disheveled. "I'm Marissa, and Penny has been looking for you all day. She's a restless spirit, and really wants to kill you. Please run!"

"He can't run faster than my car!" Penny cackled, pressing her foot on the gas.

Mari and Luca both saw this, and tackled James to the ground as Penny drove forward - right off of the side like she did before. "No!" Mari exclaimed, peering down to a wrecked car, but no one in sight.

Suddenly, Mari saw Penny standing next to the wreck, now wearing a black dress. She looked up at Mari, smiled peacefully, and disappeared slowly. Mari sagged to the ground in relief, allowing Luca to catch her from behind.

"Thank god."

\- PRGG -

October made it up to the roof of her own apartment building, finding Ryder sitting on the edge, looking down at the ground. She sighed and walked over to him, putting a hand on his back as she sat next to him. While Ryder was very much a tough-guy type, he had his breaking moments, and this was one of them. He leaned into October's embrace as she continued to rub his back comfortingly.

"I'm sorry, Ryder." She whispered. "I know you may not believe that, but I really am. I really hoped this wouldn't happen."

He nodded, pulling away from her to look her in the eyes with his own tear-stained ones. "I know, October. You were right the whole time, and I'm really sorry for the way I acted about that. You didn't deserve that, and I should've believed you."

She shrugged. "Hey, I'm not holding any grudges. To be honest, I probably would've reacted the same way if I were in your shoes. But, you know, I wish I wasn't right. You don't deserve to be played like that."

Ryder wiped at his face. "Well, I feel like I do. I feel like I've been a jackass to my sister, and I deserve this in response. This is just the universe punishing me for the way I've acted."

"Ryder, I don't care about all of that," October gave him a small smile. "That doesn't mean anything to me. I was only saying those things to look out for you - I didn't want or expect you to have to learn the hard way. All I care about right now is you."

He gave her the puppy-dog look. "Really? Even after I was a total dick to you?" He added grudgingly, "And Aiden?"

October almost laughed. "Yes, even after that. No matter what or who is in the way, you're always going to be my number one priority. There could be a thousand Aiden's, and I would still be here for you right now."

"Thanks, O," The two hugged. When they pulled away, Ryder sniffled a bit before composing himself. "So, Aiden's really changed, huh? Are you sure it isn't like this?"

"I'm sure." October nodded, giving him a confident look. "I really am, and I know that you're just look out for me too, Ryder. I appreciate that."

Ryder gave her a thoughtful look in return. "Alright, then. Since you're sure about it, I'll give Aiden a chance, but I'm watching out for you, okay? If I see anything sketchy, I'm right back to where I started."

October gave her brother another hug, wrapping her arms around him. "Thank you," She smiled. "Love you, bro."

"Love you too," Ryder told her, wrapping his one arm around her shoulders as the two siblings continued to sit on the roof and talk.

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Guardians of the Galaxy:** Luca discovers that his horse, Freckles, is sick and desperately tries to save her. As an attempt to throw him off, Saturn turns Freckles into a centaur, and forces her to fight the rangers.

 **Next chapter title:** The Beloved Pet

 **So, here's the next chapter! Like I said, sorry about being late, but I was working on the first four chapters of my new story. The next chapter for Animal Guardians (if you read that), should be up soon, as well as another for that as well. I'm going to be working extra hard to finish it off so I can focus on new work, as well as this and Emergency Responders (which is my new story). I'll still be updating this in the meanwhile, though!**

 **Also, the first official arc of this story should be up in a few chapters. It will be a new ranger arc, and will involve a certain character you met recently (and another new ranger, though his/her chapter isn't part of the arc) and a secret Eliza's been hiding. It could change a lot, and I'm sure that it'll throw a few people off, but there will be an explanation at the end of that penultimate chapter.**

 **Here's the lineup for the next five chapters, by the way.**

 **Ep 11: Skin Deep -** October focused chapter.

 **Ep 12: White Ranger -** A new ranger appears!

 **Ep 13: Captured -** First part of the New TBA Ranger arc (don't want to give away spoilers).

 **Ep 14: Daughter of Nature -** Part two. TBA (also spoilers) becomes a ranger.

 **Ep 15: Clash of the Rangers -** Part three (final part of the arc). The other rangers clash with the new ranger.

 **Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, and I'll see you guys soon! Bye!**

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


	10. Ep 10: The Beloved Pet

**Hey guys, sorry it took a month (or two) to get this next chapter out, but I was busy with not only my other stories, but personal matters as well! It's alright though, because here's the next one! For all of you animal lovers, this may be a sad chapter to read - I know it was a sad one write, as I'm one myself, but here you go!**

 **Also, you're about to meet some of the Roman and Greek gods. While I usually refer to them in the former, there will be times with the latter so when I introduce them, I'll put both of their names for their portrayal to clear things up.**

 **Jackie is portrayed by Alona Tal**

 **Jupiter/Zeus is portrayed by John Novak**

 **Minerva/Athena is portrayed by Jessica Alba**

 **Juno/Hera is portrayed by Kelly Preston**

 **Mercury/Hermes is portrayed by Steven R. McQueen**

 **Ceres/Demeter is portrayed by Jennifer Lopez**

* * *

A teenage girl, about the age of 16 years old, kneeled at the feet of three individuals sitting in very fancy, marble chairs, almost looking to be thrones. As she kneeled, her short, curly blonde hair obscured her face. She wore a white t-shirt tucked into a black mid-thigh length skirt with overall-like straps, a blue and tan checkered cardigan, black flats, and a diamond pendant necklace around her neck. Also on this necklace was a locket.

"Jacklyn Oberstar," The only man, sitting in the middle, called to her. He was a tall man with dark hair and a dark beard, tan skin, and blue eyes. Along with him were two women, on his sides. The woman on his left had light brown hair, blue eyes and lightly tanned skin, while the woman on his left had tan skin, brown eyes, and dark blonde hair. They all wore Greco-Roman robes, with the women having headband-type crowns in their hair. "Please rise."

The teenage girl rose, revealing an innocent face with pale, delicate features and brown eyes. Despite the innocence on her face, it was clear she had seen more than she would've liked to in her time.

"It is almost time for you to descend from Mount Olympus to Earth." The man told her, and she bowed her head once in a nodded.

"I am aware, Zeus," Jacklyn responded. "I feel ready to preform my duties to help save the Earth."

Zeus, or Jupiter as he was also often called, nodded. "I hope you truly are. It will be a long, and hard journey to defeat Saturn, but we have faith that you can make it."

The woman on his left let out a chuckle. "We do not need faith when we have the wisdom and intelligence to win, Jupiter."

"Just because you don't need it, doesn't mean it isn't useful," The woman on the right responded, fixing her hair gently.

"Minerva," He shot the woman on his left a glance, "Juno," He then looked to the right, "Jacklyn will have everything she needs to assist the other rangers in this fight, correct?"

Jacklyn nodded. "Of course." She would have said more, but she knew better than to talk back to her superiors, especially considering her superiors were gods.

"Good," Jupiter stood up, as did Juno and Minerva. Minerva walked forward as another God, Mercury, appeared in the room, holding a paper.

Minerva touched Jacklyn's cheek. "You'll do well, my daughter."

"Thank you, mother," Jacklyn touched her mother's hand, before Minerva took her hand away to stop the intimate moment. As they pulled away, Jacklyn walked over to stand with Mercury, who nodded to his fellow Gods.

Mercury patted her on the shoulder, making her pull away slightly. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of Jackie." He said as he grabbed Jackie by the arm and they disappeared before the rest of the Gods.

As they left, another demigod approached them, her head concealed by a robe. When she took the hood off, it was revealed to be Eliza. "Jupiter, Juno, Minerva," She kneeled before them. "I have come to you for answers."

Minerva nodded once, "Child, please rise." Eliza stood back up, facing them. "What answers do you seek?"

Eliza sighed. "You sent me to Sol Valley to help and protect the rangers, but I don't feel I'm doing my job if what you claim will happen to Marissa will happen. I feel I must warn her or something. I cannot bear to let anything happen to any of the rangers."

"You have developed relationships with them," Jupiter looked down on her, his tone condescending. "We sent you because we believed you could handle the job and let the rangers do their job. Marissa is not the intended server of the yellow ranger powers, and if you choose to let her remain.. it could cost us all dearly."

The intern bowed her head in distress. "She can get stronger, and fill the role just as well as Isabella."

Juno shook her head. "It seems we have sent the wrong demigod to assist the rangers. If you allow Marissa to survive - if you warn her - you will pay for the severity of your actions."

"But she'll..."

Jupiter put a hand up. "No matter what happens, Marissa will not stay on the team, do you understand?"

Eliza nodded. "Yes, Jupiter." She whispered.

Minerva crossed her arms at Neptune's daughter. "Leave us, and remember the consequences of your actions, Eliza. You cannot allow your emotions and connections with the rangers cloud your judgement."

She said nothing, turning away from the Gods and leaving Mount Olympus.

 **\- Cue Opening -**

Luca walked out of his house that Friday morning, his blue backpack slung over his shoulder lazily as he yawned into his hand. He walked down to his truck, opening the driver's door and shoving his backpack in, before trying to get in himself.

As he did so, his mother came over to him, a worried look on her face. He frowned, stepping away from his truck. "Mom? What's going on?"

"I'm having the vet come out here later today," Gaia told him, crossing her arms tightly across her chest. "Freckles is very sick. She's laying down and refuses to stand or eat anything. I'm afraid it may be her old age finally getting to her," Upon seeing Luca's distressed look, she put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, baby."

Luca pulled away, slamming his truck door shut as he walked out towards the barn, his mother close behind him. "I wanna see her," He told his mother, opening the barn doors.

In the barn, they had two other horses - Lightning and Misty - who were both happily drinking from the water trough. They were Freckles' offspring, and were around two years old now.

Gaia stopped and stood next to the other two horses, rubbing Misty's back as Luca went to the stall at the end, finding Freckles laying on the ground on her side.

Luca kneeled down next to her, petting her side lightly, making a few huffs come from the horse. "Hey girl," He whispered, looking around and seeing a carrot on the floor. "You okay? You wanna eat?" He put the carrot in front of her nose, letting Freckles smell it a bit, but she turned her head away. "Alright," Luca sighed.

He patted her gently as began to stand up. He stopped and frowned, kneeling back down as he saw an inflamed mark on her leg. It seemed to be some kind of bite, though it was matted with blood and fur, and Luca didn't want to move it and risk hurting her.

"Mom," He called, gesturing for her to come over. Luca gestured to the bite as she kneeled next to him. "I think I know what's going on."

Gaia nodded grimly. "That's a snake bite." She confirmed. "That's not good, Luca. It's obviously poisonous."

Luca sighed, check his watch. "I have to get to school," He stood up. "Mom, if the vet can do anything.. let her try. I know Freckles is old, but I'm not ready for this - it's not her time." His mother nodded at him, and Luca took one last look at the horse before leaving the barn.

\- PRGG -

At lunch, Aiden and October were walking towards the usual table the rangers sat at, when they saw Mari walking over to them. Mari grabbed their arms and began to drag them towards the library.

"What are you doing?" Aiden frowned as they made it inside, and Mari let go of them.

Mari gestured over to a table where Luca, Alice, and Ryder were sitting, Luca seemed to be searching something on his laptop, while Ryder and Alice were engaged in a conversation. "We're having lunch in here today."

"Why?" October asked, following Mari over to the table. "What's going on?"

Alice looked up as they approached. "Luca's looking up snake bites." She told them, gaining an odd look from both of them. "His horse got bit by one and he's trying to figure out which one."

Luca shook his head. "We don't have snakes in New Zealand - nothing like this has ever happened before." He responded, before groaning. "Why in the hell are there so many snakes around here?! I'll never figure this out."

October, Aiden, and Mari sat down with them, Mari reaching forward to touch Luca's arm lightly. "Hey, it'll be alright. You and the vet can figure this out," She said, not noticing the look Alice was giving her.

"Yeah, hopefully," Luca gave her a grateful smile, about to look back at his computer when his phone beeped with a text. He quickly took it out of his pocket, his eyes widening at said text.

 _Luca, Freckles is gone.. I don't know where she went, but she's not in the barn or on the ranch. The vet and I are looking for her now. Try not to worry, the vet said she couldn't have gotten far._

"Freckles escaped," Luca said, looking up at the others in alarm. "She couldn't even get off the ground or eat this morning, and now she's ran off?"

Aiden raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't sound very normal to me," He looked around the table. "Do you think Saturn could have something to do with this?"

"Why would Saturn want anything to do with Luca's horse?" Ryder crossed his arms, frowning. "Not saying it's impossible, but it doesn't really seem like he would gain anything from stealing a horse."

October shrugged. "It would get Luca angry," She pointed out. "I say we keep a look out and if anybody..." She was caught off when she felt her locket get hot around her neck. She looked to the other rangers, noticing the looks on their faces as well.

Alice looked around, wondering at first why all the rangers had quieted, before quickly realizing what was going on. She gestured out. "Go on. I'll take care of your stuff and all - I have a free period right now."

The others nodded gratefully, Luca kissing her on the cheek, before they all rushed out of the library.

\- PRGG -

The rangers got to the fight, standing strong as they saw a group of Titans standing in front of them. Behind the Titans stood a seemingly very tall woman with a toga-like shirt draped across the top half of her body. She was very pale, and had freckles all over her body, as far as the rangers could see.

"A giant?" Mari asked, looking to the others as they also frowned up at the monstrously tall woman.

Aiden shook his head. "I don't know - doesn't seem like it, but there also doesn't really look to be another explanation."

Ryder looked her up and down. "She sure looks like a giant."

"Ita de me quid vultis?" She spoke, the rangers frowning in confusion. "Centaurus sum, et vos causa eritis necis omnium!"

October raised her eyebrows. "What did she say?"

"She's speaking another language," Luca said, pointing it out like it wasn't obvious.

The woman stared straight at Luca, her eyes suddenly glazed over with a murderous rage. "Luca," She said, causing all of them to turn to him in shock. "Delicias disperdens vos auferam."

Aiden gave Luca a look. "You know her?"

Luca scoffed. "I think I'd know if I knew an eight foot tall woman speaking a language that none of us can understand."

"Impetum militum," The woman drawled, gesturing at the Titans to move on the distracted rangers.

Aiden looked to both sides of him, at the other rangers. "Ready?"

"Ready!"

"Guardians, Rise Up!" They called.

They all morphed, October, Ryder, and Mari going straight for the Titans, while Aiden ran forward to the woman. When he made it through the Titans, he was shocked to see that the lower half of the woman's body, was that of a horse. The horse's body was white with tan spots, and Aiden could see a red, inflamed mark on her leg.

"Snake bite," He whispered to himself, looking back to see where Luca was. When he did, he could see that the blue ranger had tried to make his way over to Aiden to help him, but had stopped just behind him, staring up at the centaur in shock.

Luca also noticed the snake bite relatively quickly. "Freckles?" He said, frozen to the spot.

Freckles looked down on him, and smirked. "Morieris, pater." Her eyes slowly made their way over to Aiden as well. "Antequam hoc." She immediately kicked one of her hooves out, striking Aiden in the chest hard, and knocking him back into a car.

The blue ranger watched his friend hit the ground, and then he pulled his sword out, closing his eyes as he blocked her leg coming at him with his sword, making her cry out in pain. He opened his eyes and ducked under another kick, sliding out under her and making his way to the other side. It didn't seem to matter, however, as she simply kicked him with her back leg, almost rolling her eyes at how easy it seemed to be.

"Facile," She smirked.

Aiden got back up from the ground, running in with his own sword. He used his powers to propel himself into the air and on the back of the centaur, but soon realized he didn't really have much of a plan past that. He grabbed ahold of Freckles' arms and tried to hold her back as Ryder escaped his fight with the Titans, trusting October and Mari to handle it while he helped the struggling red and blue rangers.

Ryder stabbed at Freckles with his spear, jumping back every time she attempted to land a hit on him with her hooves. The centaur, however, seemed to be struggling quite hard to throw the red ranger off of her while also fighting against the green. She growled, stepping down on Ryder's spear as she swung her body to the side, knocking her own self down as well as throwing Aiden to the ground.

Because of the way she fell, Aiden and Ryder unfortunately found themselves at the brunt of the large monster as she fell, causing them to demorph. Aiden's leg was trapped under the side of her body while Ryder, who had scrambled to run out of the way when Freckles fell, found himself being thrown into the air at her impact and landed hard on the ground, audibly knocking his helmeted head against the concrete.

The commotion attracted the attention of the other three rangers - Luca, who was recovering from the hit he took and October and Mari, who were fighting off the Titans.

At the sight of her brother's and boyfriend's distress, October stabbed a Titan in her way with her dagger and ran over to the Centaur, who had yet to get up. She ran at the monster, her dagger out and ready.

Luca watched as she stabbed the Centaur in her snake bite wound, seeing how suddenly distressed Freckles became, right before she seemed to pass out. Aiden winced, pulling himself out from under her as Luca ran over to check her pulse. It was weak and thready, but it was there.

When he looked up from his position at her side, he saw Mari helping Aiden lean against a saw as she demorphed and ripped part of her cardigan to stem some bleeding in his leg. He then looked over and saw an also demorphed October leaning over Ryder, trying to rouse him from unconsciousness while also holding some sort of fabric to a sluggishly bleeding wound on his forehead.

October looked up, her eyes immediately darting to Mari and Aiden, looking alarmed. "He's not waking up," She reported, suddenly gaining a protective stance over Ryder when Luca stood, making a move to help her. "Nothing personal, but if you come over here, I will not hesitate to shove you to the ground." She ground out. "By the way, what the hell happened to your horse? Because, last time I checked, horses don't have human bodies!"

Luca shrugged, taking a step away from them. "I don't know. It must have been Saturn! I swear!"

"October," Mari said, just before she spoke again. "Look, we have more important things to do than fight right now. Aiden and Ryder are injured and need medical attention,"

Aiden tried to shrug it off, though it was apparent that he was becoming lightheaded due to blood loss. "I'm fine - Ryder's unconscious. Help him first."

"We're helping you both," October said, looking him in the eyes with concern in her own. She eyed the centaur on the ground. "What are we gonna do about that?"

"Call Eliza," Aiden said, rubbing a hand down his face. "Have her teleport us and that.. horse, to the command center. We need some time to figure this out."

\- PRGG -

Bella was walking out of the mall, starting towards her car. She had many shopping bags in hand, one of which she was trying to keep hidden behind the other bags which were from clothing or beauty-oriented stores.

She made it to her car, opening the back door and putting the bags in. She walked around to put some of the larger bags in the back, bumping into someone walking as she did so.

"Hey, watch where you're going," Bella growled to the blonde girl in white before her, who was also standing with a young man who looked to be in his 20s. As she looked at them, she saw a strange dull white aura around the girl, almost looking like a light. At first, that's what Bella thought it was, until she felt a strange sensation come over her, and realized that the girl was looking around her as well. "What?" She asked, her mouth dry.

"I apologize, though I do believe that you were also unaware of where you were walking," The girl responded, almost stiffly.

Bella raised an eyebrow, and looked at the guy standing with her. When she did, she could see light fog in his place for a moment before it faded to just being around him. "Who are you?" She asked, frowning in confusion.

"This is Jackie," The man said, chuckling awkwardly. "I'm.. Kael."

Jackie looked her over. "You're Bella," She said, causing Kael to quickly glare at her.

Bella tightened her jaw. "How do you know my name?" She asked, holding the bag she was holding close to her chest. From Jackie and Kael's spot in front of her, they could see a vine beginning to rise out of the bag, something Bella seemed to notice and was not surprised by.

Kael narrowed his eyes. "You know, don't you?"

"Know what?" Bella pushed past them suddenly, putting the bag in her trunk and closing it, before glaring at them. "Look, I don't know who you are but you need to leave me alone," She said, her voice wavering a bit.

Jackie frowned. "What is the..."

"Come on," Kael grasped her arm lightly and pulled her away, Bella watching them leave, rubbing her arm in nervousness. When they left, she closed her trunk and got in her car, taking a few deep breathes.

Bella looked around before relaxing herself in the seat. "What the hell just happened?" She whispered to herself.

\- PRGG -

Aiden winced as Mason bandaged up the gash in his leg, after having stitched it up. He watched how skilled Mason seemed to be at medicine and such, before looking up at the boy's face.

"Hey, what do you think is gonna happen to Luca and his horse?" He asked, crossing his arms as Mason suddenly wrapped a bit too tightly, causing pain to jolt up his leg.

Mason sighed. "I have no idea," He muttered. "Honestly, at this point, it seems that the easiest thing to do would be to put her down. We don't know how to get her back to a regular horse, and, even if we did that, we have no idea what to do about the snake bite in her leg. If she wasn't a centaur right now, she might be dead."

Aiden frowned. "So, there's no hope really?"

"Pretty much. It's sad, especially since it's not the horse's fault that all of this is happening," Mason said. "It's just a bout of wrong place wrong time, you know? Getting bit by a snake was bad enough on it's own, and now this."

The red ranger nodded. "Yeah. Are you gonna tell him?"

Mason shook his head. "No, Eliza is. She's checking it out right now. It's not good, more so when you add October stabbing her in the leg."

Aiden cracked a small smile. "She was just protecting me and Ryder."

"Not saying it was her fault, nor that there wasn't a reason, but it's not exactly helping," Mason commented, glancing to the side at October.

October was sitting at the side of her brother's bed, while Ryder was sitting up against some pillows and rubbing a hand over his face. The pink ranger grabbed his hand when it got too close to the cut on his forehead.

"Be careful," She warned him, and he gave her a tired chuckle.

"October, I'm okay." Ryder said. "Not in too much pain right now."

She smiled. "I'm glad," She then gave him a look. "But you still have a concussion and a nasty gash on your head so don't tell me that you're okay. You're almost as bad as Aiden," October said a bit louder, looking back at the red ranger, who laughed at her.

"You're just a mother hen," Aiden retorted.

"Guys," A voice said from the doorway, attracting their attention. It was Mari, who sighed. "Luca and Eliza are outside with the horse. They're gonna put it down. When they come back in, we should be really supportive and sympathize with him, okay?"

October nodded. "Of course."

Mari gave her and the others a grateful smile. "Okay, I'm gonna go out and see how he is." She left, walking out into the living room, where she saw Eliza walking in. "Is it..?"

"Yeah," Eliza nodded, looking her over in a strange way for a moment. "Umm.. you should go out there - he's sitting near the water on the beach."

Mari nodded. "Okay." She walked outside, seeing the blue ranger sitting on the sand, looking out over the water as the sunset in the distance. She sighed and walked over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder in a comfort as she sat down next to him. "Are you okay?"

Luca didn't look at her. "Not really. I mean, it may seem like just a horse, but she's been around since I was a kid and I remember that I could always ride her when I was upset or anything, you know?" He shook his head. "I just didn't think it would happen like this, or this soon. I wish it could've been a better end, I guess."

"There's nothing wrong with that. No one should wish an ill death like that," She wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Are you _gonna_ be okay?"

He looked at her now, almost as if seeing her for the first time. "I think so," Luca and Mari stared at each other for a moment, before they both leaned in for a kiss. It quickly ended, but just left the two with their faces close, staring at each other and hearing the other breathe. Then, the two pulled away, and Mari stood up.

She shook her head at him. "We can't do that," She whispered, Luca standing up with her, both looking confused. "We can't. You have a girlfriend. We're not cheaters, Luca."

"What are we gonna do?" Luca asked, tightening his jaw.

Mari looked down. "Nothing. We can't do this. You can't do this to Alice, and neither can I. I mean, I'm not exactly her friend, but I'm not like that. You need to stay with her and be there for her."

"Mari, I'm sorry." He said lowly. "I'm so sorry."

She nodded. "Me too." Mari sighed. "Me too."

\- PRGG -

Later that night, Bella was laying asleep in her bed when she heard a voice call to her. She frowned, opening her eyes and looking around, surprised to suddenly see a woman, dressed in Greco-Roman attire, walking towards her from the corner of the room. The woman had tan skin, long brown hair, and deep brown eyes.

"Who are you?" Bella asked, sitting up quickly and pushing herself against the back rest of her bed. "What are you doing here?"

The woman stopped at the foot of her bed. "I am Ceres, the goddess of agriculture. You are my daughter, and you will soon take on a powerful role. When you are ready, you will need this," Ceres placed a coin on the bed, one with a small hole at the top. On this coin was a cornucopia. "You'll know what to do."

Bella took the coin, but didn't feel any different. "What do you mean? What's this supposed to do?" She asked, looking up from the coin.

Ceres smiled. "You'll know what to do when the time comes." She said. "Trust me."

"But..." Bella said, however, Ceres was already gone, almost having disappeared into thin air. Bella frowned, looking back down at the coin in her hands. It didn't look like a normal coin, being a bit smaller, and was a bronze color. When she turned it, it reflected yellow in the light of the moon, which surprised Bella for a moment. "What is this?" She asked herself.

The coin still did nothing, and Bella stood up, walking over to her jewelry box, opening a small compartment that had nothing else in it and dropped it in carefully. She stared at it once more before closing the small drawer and going back to her bed.

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Guardians of the Galaxy:** A succubus makes October think she's not good enough when she takes away her confidence and ability to feel beautiful. Meanwhile, Luca and Mari struggle with their growing feelings, and Jackie searches for Tommy Oliver's white ranger power coin.

 **Next Chapter Title:** Skin Deep

 **So, I wanted to say that chapters will still be far and few in between because of my now busy updating schedule, but I promise that it won't take two months to update like it did before. I will not be forgetting about this story, especially when it's getting into this little upcoming arc, but I will also be focusing on my other stories since they're more new than this one and need some work to a point where I can update on a more organized schedule.**

 **Speaking of my other stories, sorry for also being a bit absent to those (if you read them), but I will be all of them sometime in the next week or so. I've just been having some problems with writers block that started right after my OC contest winners were chosen, which was very inconveniencing, but I'm getting back into it!**

 **Oh, and I know some things in this chapter are crazy, particularly the revelation about Mari, but all will be explained and I do have a plan for her. I'll get into more detail in the upcoming arc.**

 **Anyways, here are the upcoming chapters!**

 **Ep 12: White Ranger -** A new ranger appears!

 **Ep 13: Captured -** First part of the New TBA Ranger arc (don't want to give away spoilers).

 **Ep 14: Daughter of Nature -** Part two. TBA (also spoilers) becomes a ranger.

 **Ep 15: Clash of the Rangers -** Part three (final part of the arc). The other rangers clash with the new ranger.

 **Ep 16: Love Animals -** Luca focused chapter.

 **Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, and I'll see you guys soon! Bye!**

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


	11. Ep 11: Skin Deep

**Here is the first chapter in my mass upload! I have the other chapters for my other stories ready and will be publishing them sometime during the day. Hope you guys like this!**

* * *

Bella walked through the forest on the outskirts of Sol Valley quietly, trying to lay low. She touched a few plants as she walked, making them greener and full of life. She had a content look on her face, feeling very at peace with the world and herself. She felt right at home.

She walked a bit more ahead, slowing down a bit when she came across a small grassy area. She knelt down to touch the dying grass, and almost instantly, the grass began to turn green and luscious, and she smiled to herself.

"Quite impressive," A smooth voice said from the side of her. She looked over to see Ceres perched on a large rock, looking at her with an unreadable expression. "You've been practicing."

Bella stood up straight and walked a bit closer to her. "You're my mother," She said, unnecessarily. "You really are." Bella shook her head in disbelief. "You don't know how long I've been waiting to meet you."

Ceres' expression didn't change. "I figured. How long have you known about this, Isabella?"

"A few years," Bella looked down, as if she was ashamed. "I was on a hike when I discovered my abilities. I didn't know where I got them from until you showed up, though. After you did, I researched you.. and it all made sense. I'm a demigod."

The goddess nodded. "Yes, and soon you will take on a powerful role."

"You keep saying that, but it doesn't make sense," Bella crossed her arms. "Don't I already have a powerful role? I mean, I can control plants and the environment."

"I didn't say you weren't powerful," Ceres commented. "But that doesn't mean that you're in a powerful position. Normal humans don't know about you and us gods don't find you all that special. Soon, you'll take on a powerful position that will change you and your life."

"But, what if I like my life the way it is?" Bella made a face. "What if I don't want the position?"

Ceres regarded her with mild irritation. "Then the world as you know it will cease to exist and perish at the hands of Saturn. You are the true intended server of the yellow ranger powers."

"Wait," Bella paused for a moment, taking in the information. "I'm supposed to be the yellow ranger? How exactly is that gonna work when there already is one?"

Ceres tilted her head up to look at the clear sky. "Marissa will soon face her fate, as will you." The goddess stood from the rock and walked up to Bella. "You will know when it's time. For now, just keep practicing. You'll need it."

Bella frowned, opening her mouth to speak when Ceres disappeared before her. She took a deep breath, before walking back the way she came.

 **\- Cue Opening -**

Aiden was thrown back against a car by the latest creature attacking, a succubus. He groaned in pain and sighed in exhaustion. The team had been looking for this creature for a few days, and now, in battle, she was even harder to fight than she was to find.

Succubus had very pale skin, dark eyes, and long dark hair; her body was tall and slender. She had a short, ripped up, white dress on, and a long, thin sword in one hand. She looked more human than most of the monsters they fought, which made it even more surprising at how strong she was against the rangers.

She grabbed Luca by the neck and lifted him into the air, cutting off his air supply as he struggled against her hands. She brought him close to her face and smirked. "You've been a naughty boy," She hissed lowly, her eyes cutting to Mari for a moment, before they focused back on Luca. "You're gonna pay for those mistakes soon enough."

Luca gave her a startled look, surprised she knew anything about that. Before he had time to react, she slammed him down on the ground hard, demorphing him upon impact. She looked down at him as he coughed and tried to regain his breathing, clutching at his chest and neck in pain. She shook her head. "Pathetic." Succubus kicked him off to the side.

Mari got to her feet from her position on the ground and ran over to her. Succubus rolled her eyes at the yellow ranger, who grabbed her by the arms and tried to burn her, her hands glowing yellow. The creature hissed in pain, kicking Mari hard in the knee, forcing her to let go and fall to the ground.

Succubus looked at her ghostly white arms, seeing handprints burned deeply into them. She growled and stomped her foot down on the same knee she had kicked, demorphing the yellow ranger. She held her foot on Mari's knee and looked at her deeply. Succubus grabbed her by the arm and pulled her up, forcing her to look into her eyes as they glowed red.

"Mari!" Aiden yelled, trying to get up to his feet. Succubus put her sword tip to Mari's chin, silently threatening the rangers if they moved.

She turned back to the yellow ranger, and Mari seemed to be in a trance as they stared at each other. Succubus frowned when Mari shook her head a bit and snapped out of it. "You..." She whispered. "You're already broken inside - in more ways than one. You have no confidence.. none at all." She said disgustedly before throwing her off to the side.

Aiden quickly got up and stumbled over to her with his sword in hand but she shook her head as their swords clashed. "I have no interest in you," She ground out.

"What'd you do to Mari?" He asked, pushing his sword to throw her off, to no avail.

Succubus laughed. "Nothing, unfortunately. There was nothing I could do that hadn't already been done." She pushed back, making Aiden stumble back before she slashed her sword across his chest, making him fly back and demorph.

Ryder then pushed himself up, using a car he was next to to help himself get to his feet. He sighed, looking over to October, who was also trying to get to her feet. He pulled out his blaster and shot it at Succubus, who immediately turned her attention to him, crying out in anger.

She ran at him and he jumped out of the way of her sword, which she stabbed straight into the car behind him. His eyes widened at the sight and he pulled out his spear, trying to stab her with it while she was pulling her sword out of the car. Succubus quickly retaliated and clashed her sword with his spear, before reaching her hand around and clasping it around his spear, yanking it from his hands and throwing it to the side.

Succubus shook her head. "The son of Mars.. tough, angry, but so, so dumb," She smirked as she tried to stab him with her sword again, though he narrowly jumped out of the way.

"Oh yeah?" He growled, feeling anger bubble up inside of him. "Try me, bitch."

He pulled out a dagger and tried to distract her by throwing a punch so that he could stab her with it, but she dropped her sword and caught both of his hands, twisting them to the sides. Ryder was forced to drop his weapon and get down to his knees to avoid his bones breaking under the pressure.

When he was on his knees, Succubus took the opportunity to take her own knee and throw it upwards, hitting him hard in the chin and throwing him back, making him demorph before he even hit the ground.

October finally made it to her feet, looking around at her friends, who were all injured and on the ground around them. She growled under breath and ran at Succubus, digging her dagger into her back when she wasn't paying attention.

Succubus roared in pain and turned, immediately grabbing the pink ranger and lifting her off of her feet. She jumped up onto the car next to the them and slammed her down on top of it, breaking the glass windows and denting the metal drastically, causing October to demorph under the force of the blow.

When she demorphed, Succubus saw her face and smiled deviously. "The daughter of Venus, goddess of beauty..." She grabbed her by the face and forced her to look into her eyes as they glowed red again. October resisted for a moment, before she was caught up in a trance like Mari was.

"October!" Ryder yelled, trying to get up but quickly stumbling and falling to the ground again. "Let her go!"

The creature ignored him and smiled when, unlike Mari, October's eyes rolled up in her head and she lost consciousness, like Succubus expected. She swiped her off of the car with ease and smirked at the rangers, before disappearing.

Ryder quickly shoved himself back to his feet and limped over to his sister as fast as he could, falling to the ground next to her hard. He shook her shoulders, but the only thing that happened was her head lolling to the side. "October," He called, tapping her cheek. "Come on, damn it."

"Ryder," Aiden said from behind him. The green ranger turned back to see the red, who was hunched over slightly and had his arm wrapped protectively around his chest. "She's unconscious. We should get her back to the command center."

The younger male was about to nod in response when October stirred and sat up in out of surprise, shocking the other rangers, who were all standing, or kneeling in Ryder's case, around her. "October?" Ryder asked, looking her over worriedly. "Are you alright? How do feel?" He said quickly.

October nodded. "I'm okay. Did she beat us?"

Aiden made a face, finding this question a bit odd. "Well, she didn't _beat_ us. We're still alive and she just left. She'll be back."

"Okay," She said, looking a bit like she wanted to respond to his statement, but not wanting to speak up at the same time. October began to stand up, and Ryder helped her.

He was hovering over her, making sure she didn't stumble or fall. "Are you okay to walk? Do you need my help?"

October looked up at him with a strange expression on her face. "I wanna go home." She said out of the blue. "Can we go home?"

Ryder frowned. "You wanna go home? Don't you wanna checked out to make sure you're alright? I mean, you were just unconscious."

"I feel fine," October told him. "Hey, I'm gonna stop at Walgreen's on the way home. Do we have money for that?"

The green ranger stared at her like she was crazy. "I don't know, I guess it depends on what you wanted to buy," He shook his head, exasperated. "What are you talking about? Are you sure you're alright?"

Her expression turned into one made of guilt. "I'm sorry," She looked down. "I.. I'm not trying to make you angry."

"Hey," Ryder grabbed her by the shoulders, making her look up at him. "I'm not angry. I'm.. worried about you." He said quietly, trying not to let the other rangers in on this moment of his guard being let down. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Are you okay?" She asked, noticing the way he was standing, which was as if he was in pain. "You should go to the command center. I'll see you back at home.. if that's alright?"

"Yeah, that's okay, I guess." Ryder said, wondering why she was asking him what do to instead of just doing it. "If you're sure."

"I'm sure," October smiled softly as he let go of her shoulders. "I'll see you at home."

"Okay," Ryder watched her walk off, noticing something was different. When he turned back to the others, he noticed Aiden had a similar expression of concern on his face. Instead of addressing it, he decided instead to change the subject. "Let's get back. Liela's gonna be waiting for us." He said, ignoring the look Aiden gave him.

\- PRGG -

Jackie and Mercury ended up in Reefside, California, which was about two hours away from Sol Valley. Jackie was mostly reading and researching during the car ride, whereas the messenger god was driving. She looked up when she saw a sign pass by, telling them what town they were in.

"Reefside?" Jackie asked, looking over at Mercury. "What are we doing here? I was unaware of another threat arising in Reefside since Mesogog's defeat."

Mercury kept his eyes on the road. "We're not here for a fight. We're here to retrieve your ranger powers."

Jackie frowned. "My ranger powers?"

"Yes," Mercury nodded once. "Your coin is incomplete. It has the power you need to morph, but it doesn't have the connection you need. We're trying to find Tommy Oliver and get his white ranger power coin."

The demigod raised an eyebrow. "You're going to steal something from Tommy Oliver, one of the most well known power rangers in history?" Mercury nodded, causing Jackie to shake her head. "That is very unwise. With the amount of powers he has.. you'll never be able to get it. He'd destroy you first."

Mercury rolled his eyes. "Most of his powers are dormant."

Jackie made a face. "Not all."

"So what do you suggest we do?" Mercury asked, glaring at her for a moment before focusing back on the road.

She thought for a moment. "Well, from what I have heard, Mr. Oliver is a reasonable man who would do anything to protect the world. Since it is my mission to do so, I believe we should speak to him and inform him of our situation."

"You wanna ask him for it?"

"Yes," Jackie nodded.

Mercury laughed. "No offense, but you have the least amount of social skills of anyone I have ever met. What are you gonna say?"

"That it is my mission to destroy Saturn and that I need the assistance of his coin to do so," She said, as if it was obvious. "I only need the coin to complete this mission."

He frowned. "Wait a minute.. 'it's your mission?'"

Jackie nodded slowly. "Yes. I believe you have been aware of that."

"Jackie, it's not _just_ a mission. It's more than that..." He sighed. "You're saving the world. This isn't just another job or mission or whatever you wanna call it. I mean.. don't you care about and love humanity or the Earth?"

She shrugged. "Love is complex and emotions cloud my judgement. The more focused I am on people, the more distracted I will be when I'm fighting. Logic is the best way to respond to a situation."

"That's wrong," Mercury said, a disappointed look on his face. "If that's the way you think.. then maybe you shouldn't be a ranger. Being a ranger is about caring and protecting people, and becoming a team.. a family, even. I know emotions are complex and I know you being the daughter of Minerva doesn't make it easier to have them, but you can't just shut them off and think only from a logical standpoint. That's how people get hurt."

"You're saying that logic is wrong?"

"No," Mercury gave an exasperated sigh. "I'm saying that too much logic can cloud your judgement just like emotions. You have to use both to succeed. Does that make sense?"

Jackie stared at him. "Well..."

"Okay, let me give you an example. If you had the choice between destroying a monster right then and there, but you would end up killing one or two of the other rangers in the process, would you do it?" Mercury asked, cutting her off.

She blinked. "It is my duty to destroy Saturn. I would not be pleased to do so, but I would do anything to complete my mission."

Mercury shook his head. "Well, if you did that, you wouldn't be able to destroy him. You need the other rangers to do it, and if you let them die.. you can't do it without them."

Jackie looked down, processing the information. "I see." Was all she said after a few moments.

"Besides, don't you want any friends?"

She nodded. "Of course. I love being around people."

"Then how could you think like that?" Mercury asked. "You're not just finishing a mission to destroy Saturn - you're protecting humanity with your life and if you let too much logic cloud your judgement.. then no one's gonna survive this."

Jackie was silent, going back to her research as Mercury continued down the road.

\- PRGG -

Aiden made his way over to October and Ryder's apartment, going to tell her that Ryder had some last minute things to do at the command center before he got back. He knocked on the door, hearing soft music coming from inside, which he found a bit strange. She usually kept it at a loud level - though made sure she wasn't disturbing her neighbors - it was almost nonexistent.

When she didn't respond, he tried turning the doorknob, surprised to find it unlocked, which he thought was most likely kept open for Ryder. He closed the door behind him and looked around, before following the sound of the music when he didn't find October.

"October?" He called, knocking on her bedroom door, which was closed.

"Coming," October said a bit quietly, coming to the door and opening it, letting him inside, before closing the door behind him. She had her hair up in a towel and had changed clothes, wearing a rather big sweatshirt, long, baggy jeans, and socks covering her feet.

Aiden looked her over. "Is that.. Ryder's jacket?"

"No, not exactly," She picked at the hem of her sweater. "It was my dad's. He gave it to Ryder the day before he died, and he won't wear it because it reminds him too much of what happened. Do you think he'll be mad?" October asked, looking nervous. "I don't want him to get mad. I didn't wear it until after I put the stuff in my hair."

He frowned. "I don't know.. I don't think he'll be mad. Umm.. what stuff did you put in your hair?"

October reached up and pulled her towel off of her head, smiling at his shocked expression. "I went to Walgreen's for some makeup, cause it's closer and cheaper than the mall, and this lady said I'd look good blonde," She replied, running her hand through her hair, which was now dyed blonde.

Aiden raised his eyebrows. "Wait a minute.. you dyed your hair blonde just because some stranger told you it would look good?"

"Maybe," October looked down insecurely. "Do you not like it?"

He made a face. "No, it's fine. I just.. I don't know what to say. Are you alright?"

She nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"No reason," Aiden said, turning to the side and making a skeptical facial expression out of her view. "Just making sure."

\- PRGG -

Jackie and Mercury sat awkwardly in Tommy Oliver's living room, waiting as he brought them some coffee. Mercury thanked him for it, while Jackie simply nodded her thanks. Tommy sat down in a chair next to them, looking between the two.

"So, what's this about?" He asked, leaning back slightly in his chair.

Mercury looked to Jackie, who set her coffee down on the table in front of them. "We're here to ask about your white ranger coin," She said bluntly, causing Mercury to give her a look.

Tommy tensed slightly. "What are you talking about? Who are you?"

"Forgive her - she's a bit.. lacking in social skills," Mercury said, putting his hand up to gesture for Jackie not to speak. "Look, my name is Mercury, the messenger God of Roman mythology and Jackie is the demigod daughter of Minerva, the Goddess of Wisdom. We're here because she has a power coin that's not fully working, and we need your coin to power it up completely, that's all."

The veteran ranger stared at him for a moment, trying to decipher if he was telling the truth or not. "How do I know you're not lying?"

Jackie unhooked her necklace and handed it over to him. "We're trying to stop Saturn from destroying the world. He wants to ruin all of the Gods' work. The main five rangers are already fighting, and I can't join them without your assistance on this."

Tommy handed her locket back. "I don't know how to feel about this... Handing over my power coin to two people I don't even know? What if I give it to you and you turn out to be working for this Saturn you're talking about?"

"We know it's a hard decision to make," Mercury assured him. "And we know it's very short notice and you have no reason to trust us, but we really need this; or, at least, a decision."

"I..."

Jackie cut him off. "Wait," She said. "Before you make any decisions, allow me to explain. Earlier today, I thought my mission was just to destroy Saturn, no matter what the cost, and it still is, but.. there's more to it. I have to save the people above all, and that's what I want to do. Purely logically, I know I shouldn't let my feelings towards humanity get in my way, but sometimes, too much logic is a bad thing," She glanced at Mercury for a moment. "It clouds my judgement, just like emotions."

Tommy was silent as he listened to her, his gaze turned towards the floor.

"I truly want to save the people," Jackie told him. "And I'm willing to do anything to make that happen, so I'm asking you, please. Please let me do what I need to. Your decision could mean the difference between life and death."

He looked up at her, before nodding. "Alright, I'll do it."

\- PRGG -

The next day, Mari was leaning against her locker, checking her phone for something when she saw someone come up to her. She looked up from her phone, and sighed when she saw who it was.

"Luca, what are you doing?" She asked, noticing the tight look on his face. "Where's Alice?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, but it doesn't matter. We have to talk about this."

Mari shook her head. "What's there to talk about? It was a stupid, spur of the moment thing that happened because you were emotional and we both got the wrong message."

"But, what if it's not the wrong message?" Luca crossed his arms, watching her look down at his statement. "See, you know what I'm talking about. You can't just play it off like it's nothing. We kissed, Mari."

"It doesn't matter, Luca!" Mari growled out under her breath. "This can't happen. You have a girlfriend that you love and I won't ruin that, okay? So, as far as I'm concerned, nothing happened!"

Luca glared at her. "But something did happen. I don't care if you don't want to admit it because it's true, and you know that, whether you want to admit it or not."

"So, what? You just gonna dump Alice because you got kissed once?" Mari asked, glaring back at him. "You're really gonna throw away all of that time for this? All of the love?"

He frowned. "No, but..."

Mari cut him off. "But nothing. Look, while a lot of what you're saying is true.. it's not gonna happen, so I think it's just easier to forget that anything went down in the first place and let it go. We have to move on." She saw Alice walking over to them. "I have to go. Just remember that you and Alice love each other. Whatever happened was nothing compared to that."

"Okay," He nodded, watching her walk off as he felt a pair of hands slip around him. "Hey, babe," He greeted.

Alice smiled up at him. "Hey," She hugged him tightly. "I'm glad to see you; I've been looking for you most of the day. Where have you been?"

He shrugged. "Just around. Sorry you couldn't find me," Luca forced a smile. "Let's go get lunch." He said, taking her hand and pulling her away from the spot he and Mari had been standing a moment ago. As they walked away, Luca looked back once more, before focusing his attention on his girlfriend.

\- PRGG -

Meanwhile, Aiden and Ryder were at a team lunch with the other football players to discuss the previous and upcoming games. When it was over, the red ranger pulled the green aside, away from their football teammates.

Ryder frowned. "What's going on?" He asked, wondering why Aiden would want to talk to him. The two still weren't exactly best friends, and hadn't really talked too much individually, so this was unusual.

"I wanna talk about October," Aiden said. "I'm guessing you know about her hair."

"Yeah, I do." He nodded, a disapproving look on his face. "She's insane. I have no idea what's going on with her."

Aiden made a face. "Well, that's what I wanted to say. I think that Succubus did something to her. She's acting like she's insecure and worried about what others think of her, which she never really does."

"You think?" Ryder crossed his arms. "I never even thought about that. She _was_ acting really strange after she got up. I mean, October has never asked me for permission to do something; she doesn't have to." He sighed. "What do you think we should do?"

The red ranger let out a breath. "I'm not sure. There's a good chance we'll have to wait until Succubus comes back to destroy her, but in the meantime, maybe we should talk to October - see if we can knock some sense into her."

Ryder raised an eyebrow. "Do you really think that would work? She's obviously delusional; she dyed her hair blonde an hour after that happened, and all because a lady at the store told her to. I don't know if talking it out would make a difference. Maybe we should just wait until Succubus comes back."

Aiden shook his head, "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?" Ryder frowned. "It's not like she can fight when she's like this, even if we talk to her. If it is a spell, it's too powerful for us to change with words."

"Maybe it's too powerful to _change_ , but what about, at least, making her stop being ridiculous," Aiden pointed out. "She could be doing who knows what all because she's insecure. She wants to change to conform to others. Just think of the things she could do."

Ryder was quiet for a moment, before nodding. "Okay, we'll talk to her after school at the apartment. If worse comes to worse, we could always lock her in there or something while we fight to make sure she doesn't do anything crazy."

"Okay." Aiden said. "Just make sure she doesn't find out about this beforehand."

He nodded. "Don't worry, I got it. Just meet us there."

"Alright," Aiden sighed out. "I just hope we can do something."

"Yeah," Ryder looked down at the ground. "Me too."

\- PRGG -

Down in Tartarus, Succubus was in a secluded room with a beautiful woman who almost looked to be a Goddess. She had long black hair, navy blue eyes, and pale skin, with a Greco-Roman dress and no shoes on.

"You could've done so much more, you know," The woman said. "I mean, you could've seduced the men and stole the yellow ranger's confidence as well. It would make her a much easier target for my plan."

Succubus nodded. "I understand, Phoebe, but the yellow ranger doesn't have any confidence for me to steal."

Phoebe raised an eyebrow. "Really?" She thought for a moment. "But.. the pink ranger does."

"Oh yes, my liege." Succubus responded. "So much. She's a very confident and strong person - it was almost difficult to get all of it out of her."

"Hmm..." Phoebe smirked. "Well, maybe we should adjust my plans then. Take the pink ranger, rather than the yellow."

"Even better, take the new yellow as well," Succubus pointed out. "The Gods are planning on replacing the current one, so take the new one. It'll be the perfect storm."

Phoebe chuckled. "Oh yes, and quite literally, I might add." She had a smug look on her face. "Go back to Earth and find this new yellow ranger for me. Steal her confidence, and make her an easy target. I'll come for them when the time is right."

"Yes, Phoebe," Succubus nodded once, before exiting the room.

\- PRGG -

Aiden made his way to October and Ryder's apartment, quickly hearing pounding and yelling as he got to the door. He frowned and let himself in, making his way into October's room, where he found Ryder leaning against the bathroom door, knocking and calling his sister's name.

"Come on out, October," Ryder said. "You can't just sit against that door forever."

"Maybe I will," She said defiantly, but also quietly, like she didn't want to speak up against him.

Aiden made a face. "What the hell is she doing?" He asked, alerting Ryder to his presence. "What did you do?"

"I may have started without you," Ryder admitted. "All I did was ask her what's going on and if she would stop being stupid, and she ran into the bathroom, locked the door, and sat against it."

The red ranger sighed, and opened his mouth to speak, when his locket heated up against his chest. He looked down at it, before looking back up at Ryder, who also had the same reaction. They both also knew that October was aware of it as well. "Go," Aiden told Ryder. "Let me talk to her. I'll get her out, and hopefully be able to meet you guys out there."

Ryder looked like he wanted to protest at first, before nodding. "Alright. Good luck," He muttered, clapping Aiden on the shoulder as he ran past him.

Aiden walked over to the door and sat down on the floor in front of it. "Hey, October," Aiden said, turning his head towards the door. "Can we talk? You don't have to open the door, just listen, okay?"

It was silent for a moment, before she whispered. "Okay,"

"I know you feel lost and insecure and worried about.. well, probably everything. I get that, and it's okay to feel that way, but you can't let it control your life - not like this."

October scoffed, "How do you know how I feel?"

Aiden looked down at the ground. "Because I feel the same way a lot. I worry that I'm not good enough daily, on everything from taking a stupid test to defeating Saturn to.. being with you. I..." He took a deep breath. "I don't think I'm good enough for you, all the time." He chuckled humorlessly, "You know, everyone says that guys aren't supposed to feel this way, and that makes it even worse."

"Why?" She asked, turning the door knob and opening the door, standing above him until he stood with her. "Why would you feel like you're not good enough for me? You're amazing. I worry about _me_ not being good enough for _you_."

He raised an eyebrow. "Really? That's stupid - you're the best, most beautiful person I've ever met." Aiden reached a hand to touch her cheek lightly. "I love you." He said, which is something neither of the two had gotten around to saying before now.

"You..." October trailed off, looking up at him in shock. "You love me?"

"Yes, with all of my being. I love you."

October nearly launched herself at Aiden, burying herself in his chest and almost making him stumble from the force of the hug. He held her tightly. "I love you too," She whispered.

Aiden was about to speak, when he felt his locket heat up again, and he knew October felt her's as well. She pulled away and looked up at him, a bit nervous, but seemingly alright. "Are you okay to come?"

She took a deep breath, and nodded. "Yeah. Let's go."

\- PRGG -

Mari cried out in pain as she was slammed into the ground once again by Succubus, demorphing upon impact. Succubus picked her up and shook her head, before throwing her at Luca and Ryder, who were already demorphed and on the ground.

Succubus shook her head. "Wow. Who would've thought that you three would be so easy." On the ground nearby, somewhat hidden by a car, was Bella's unconscious form. Succubus looked over at her. "She wasn't too hard either. I would've stole her confidence like the pink ranger's, but you three just had to get in my way."

"And it's gonna stay that way!" Aiden yelled as he and October ran over, blasting at her.

The creature smirked when she saw October. "So, you mustered up enough strength to come back for round two, huh? Well, this time, I won't just take your confidence - I'll take your life with it."

"Try me," October pulled out her sword, clenching her fist around it's hilt firmly.

The two forces were about to attack, when a blast came at Succubus from behind and hit her in back, making her stumble forward and roar in pain and anger. Succubus turned around, and the rangers all directed their attention to someone walking down the street.

Aiden and October pulled the three injured rangers to their feet and stood slightly in front of them as they all watched this person come towards them through a cloud of smoke that was emitting from a nearby crashed car.

The person - a young woman - came out of the smoke, completely morphed in a ranger suit, though it was one that was different from the other rangers'. It was a white suit with a large black and gold shield over her chest. She had a golden belt and a short, white skirt similar to October and Mari's suits. She had gold shoulder pads and gold, black, and white gloves and boots. Her helmet was also white and gold.

"White Guardian!" She called out.

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Guardians of the Galaxy:** Jackie reveals herself as the white ranger and meets the rangers. Meanwhile, Phoebe puts her plan into action.

 **Next Chapter Title:** White Ranger

 **So, since Jackie has Tommy's white ranger key, she has the same suit as he did, just in a female version with the skirt. I only did this because of the series I'm 'adapting' from, and I'm sorry if anyone doesn't like that - I don't mean to do anything that would upset any fans by giving one of my characters his suit** **.**

 **Anyways, this is the first chapter I'm posting as a part of my birthday mass update, so expect chapters for my other stories as well sometime during the day! Since I'm updating all of them today, that does mean that the next chapter I'll be posting after today will be for this story, so keep an eye out!**

 **Oh, and here are the upcoming chapters!**

 **Ep 13: Captured -** First part of the New TBA Ranger arc (don't want to give away spoilers).

 **Ep 14: Daughter of Nature -** Part two. TBA (also spoilers) becomes a ranger.

 **Ep 15: Clash of the Rangers -** Part three (final part of the arc). The other rangers clash with the new ranger.

 **Ep 16: Love Animals -** Luca focused chapter.

 **Ep 17: Collision Part I -** Ryder focused chapter.

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, and I'll see you guys soon! Bye!**

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


	12. Ep 12: White Ranger

**Hey guys, here's the next chapter! Sorry for leave you guys hanging for a while, but I'm back now! Keep in mind, since this is technically multi-parter (though it's not in the title, this chapter and the next are related), I'll be updating this solely until I get past the cliffhangers and such, which will probably be after the next one.**

 **Oh, and happy new years to you guys! Since it is the new year, I'm going to update this, as well as my other stories over the next four days, with one chapter everyday (ideally, look at author's note below for details) for the first four days of 2017! So everything I said above doesn't apply until after this week. Hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

 **Last time on Power Rangers: Guardians of the Galaxy**

Mari cried out in pain as she was slammed into the ground once again by Succubus, demorphing upon impact. Succubus picked her up and shook her head, before throwing her at Luca and Ryder, who were already demorphed and on the ground.

Succubus shook her head. "Wow. Who would've thought that you three would be so easy." On the ground nearby, somewhat hidden by a car, was Bella's unconscious form. Succubus looked over at her. "She wasn't too hard either. I would've stole her confidence like the pink ranger's, but you three just had to get in my way."

"And it's gonna stay that way!" Aiden yelled as he and October ran over, blasting at her.

The creature smirked when she saw October. "So, you mustered up enough strength to come back for round two, huh? Well, this time, I won't just take your confidence - I'll take your life with it."

"Try me," October pulled out her sword, clenching her fist around it's hilt firmly.

The two forces were about to attack, when a blast came at Succubus from behind and hit her in back, making her stumble forward and roar in pain and anger. Succubus turned around, and the rangers all directed their attention to someone walking down the street.

Aiden and October pulled the three injured rangers to their feet and stood slightly in front of them as they all watched this person come towards them through a cloud of smoke that was emitting from a nearby crashed car.

The person - a young woman - came out of the smoke, completely morphed in a ranger suit, though it was one that was different from the other rangers'. It was a white suit with a large black and gold shield over her chest. She had a golden belt and a short, white skirt similar to October and Mari's suits. She had gold shoulder pads and gold, black, and white gloves and boots. Her helmet was also white and gold.

"White Guardian!" She called out.

 **Now**

The two morphed rangers stood further in front of the three demorphed, and injured, rangers behind them, all five of them shocked at this new ranger. The white ranger was holding her blaster out in front of her and had it pointed at Succubus, who looked unimpressed.

"So," Succubus drawled. "You have a new trick up your sleeves, do you rangers?"

Aiden stepped forward slightly, tilting his head in confusion as he looked at the white ranger. "Who is that?" He asked, looking back at the others, who all looked just as confused.

October put her arm out to stop any of the others from moving forward. "Good question," She turned back to them. "You guys need to get over there - you're hurt."

The three looked like they wanted to protest, but slowly decided against it and stumbled over behind a car, leaving only Aiden and October on the battlefield with Succubus and the white ranger.

"Did Liela mention another ranger?" Aiden asked, standing strong with October, now behind Succubus, who had turned her attention on the white ranger.

"No," October shook her head, not taking her eyes off of the scene in front of them.

Succubus growled lowly in her throat, but the white ranger didn't seem fazed by it, still holding her blaster out in front of her. As the creature tried to run forward, the white ranger blasted her multiple times, making her fly back and land at Aiden and October's feet.

The two jumped back slightly to avoid getting hit as Succubus looked up at them and barred her teeth. She had burns all over her ghostly white body as she forced herself to her feet and threw herself at Aiden.

She wrenched his arm behind his back and held him against her with her arm around his throat. Succubus smirked as October drew her sword.

"You make one move and I'll drop your little boyfriend in an instant," Succubus threatened, staring intently at October. "I don't know how you scraped together the last little bits of your self esteem together to be able to come out here, but I don't care. By the time I'm done with you, you'll have nothing left! Nothing!"

October glared at her. "You'll never get the chance to do that."

"Oh yeah?" Succubus laughed. "We'll see about that. Drop the sword or I'll drop him."

"I..." October trailed off, sighing and placing her sword on the ground, kicking it towards Succubus. "What do you want with me?"

"My master has an interest in you, pink ranger." Succubus said, wrenching Aiden's arm up to the point of dislocation, making him cry out in pain and demorph as she threw him to the side. "You'll come with me, or I'll destroy everyone and everything you love," She looked back at the others. "Maybe I'll go with your precious little brother next,"

The pink ranger growled under her breath. "It'd be the last thing you'd ever do." She promised.

Suddenly, as Succubus stumbled toward October, she was hit from the side with a sword. October jumped in slight surprise, so focused that she hadn't seen the white ranger rushing over with her sword drawn.

Succubus looked up in rage and saw the barrel of a blaster in her face. She looked past it and up at the white ranger, a sick smirk on her face. "Do it." She whispered. "You'll end up facing something so much worse when my master comes for you," Succubus cut her eyes to October as she finished.

Before she could say anything else, the white ranger shot her blaster, making Succubus explode into flames before their eyes. October looked over at the white ranger in shock, standing before her as the three injured rangers got Aiden to his feet and all stumbled over to them.

"Thank you," October said breathlessly as she demorphed, standing with the others. "Who are you?"

The white ranger also demorphed. "I'm Jacklyn Oberstar," She introduced herself stoically. "I also go by Jackie. I'm the daughter of Minerva, the Goddess of wisdom."

Aiden held his arm close to his chest and stepped forward slightly. "I'm Aiden, the red ranger and leader of..."

"I know who you are," Jackie interrupted him. "I know who all of you are - Aiden, the son of Jupiter; October, daughter of Venus; Rhydian, son of Mars; Luca, son of Neptune; and Marissa, daughter of Vesta," She finished, giving Mari a strange look, before looking at the rest of them.

Ryder crossed his arms gingerly, "How do you know who we are?"

"You're legends," Jackie said. "As am I. We are talked about all throughout Olympus." She looked back to Mari. "You are one I learned of from the Gods themselves."

"Really?" Mari asked, shocked. "Me?"

"Yes," Jackie nodded. "They told me about you - you're not spoken about by others."

Mari frowned and opened her mouth to speak, but Aiden gave her a glare to cut her off. "Well, can you come back to the command center with us? We would like an explanation about all of this," He said.

"Of course," She responded. "Take me there."

 **\- Cue Opening -**

Jackie sat in a chair in the living room of the command center, waiting for Aiden and Mari to finish getting checked over by Mason and Liela, whereas Ryder and Luca already had. They, as well as October, sat in the living room with Jackie, also waiting.

"So," October started. "I've never seen you around here before."

The white ranger nodded. "Yes. While I am a resident of Sol Valley, I have spent much of my time in Mount Olympus."

Luca raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You lived in Mount Olympus? With the Gods?"

"Yes," Jackie responded. "Is that shocking? I thought you would be aware of such a thing, given I spoke of Olympus before, as well as the amount you are spoken about.. I suppose you have been there as well?"

October shook her head. "None of us have. Not at all. We've never met the Gods.. our parents," She corrected, a bit quieter than she had been speaking. October looked over at Ryder, who said nothing. "Our intern, Eliza, used to live there."

Jackie gave a slight smile. "I know Eliza well," She commented, the four looking up as the person in question walked in, stopping in shock as she saw Jackie.

Eliza breathed out in shock. "Jackie?" She walked forward and immediately pulled up a chair to sit with them. "I haven't seen you in ages."

"About a month and a half, actually," Jackie corrected her.

Eliza chuckled. "Feels like longer. How have you been?"

"I have been well," Jackie said, giving her a fond look. "How are you?"

"Good," She smiled. "Really good. I love being here, and you are too. Are you staying with your dad?"

Jackie nodded. "I will be, yes."

Just as she spoke, Aiden, Mari, and Liela came out of the infirmary and all sat down in the living room with them, Liela looking at Jackie as she started the conversation, "So, you're the new ranger," She said, putting her hand out. "I'm Liela, your mentor."

The white ranger didn't shake her hand, making Liela put it down after a few moments. "Jackie,"

Liela nodded, giving her a strange look for a moment. "Alright. Well, why don't you tell us a bit about yourself and what you're doing here,"

"I've been living at Mount Olympus for much of my life," Jackie began. "With my mother. My father is aware of my godly parentage and encouraged me to be a part of this if I would've liked to, which I did. I've been learning about my heritage and have been training for this ever since. I have always known I would be a ranger when the time came."

Aiden made a face, "So, why are you only here now?"

"The Gods had not sent me down before now." Jackie responded immediately. "They told me it was the right time. I traveled with Mercury to retrieve my morpher before I arrived."

"Well, you must have had quite the journey, then," Liela smiled. "Do you have a place to stay?"

Jackie nodded, standing up along with the others. "Of course. I will be staying with my father, thank you."

"Okay," Liela looked at the others. "We've all had a long day. You guys should go home and relax - recoup for whatever'll happen next."

As the rangers all cleared out and made it outside, Aiden caught up to October and Ryder as they were walking back towards town, and he could hear them talking about what had happened.

Ryder picked up a strand of her long hair and chuckled a bit. "This is a little far, don't you think?" He joked. "Anyways, why would a monster want you to dye your hair? Seems kinda irrelevant to me."

October rolled her eyes. "I don't think that was the point. The point was to make me too insecure and worried to fight."

"Well," Aiden said as he made it to them, causing them both to look over at him. "I'm glad you snapped out of it."

She blushed slightly. "Me too. I wonder who helped me," She nudged him lightly.

Ryder made a face, "Okay, what happened? Did true love save the day or something?"

"You could say that," Aiden smirked. "Look, I know this is weird for you to hear, but I really do love your sister, a lot."

"And, I love you too," October butted in, taking Aiden's hand to hold as they walked.

"I believe you," Ryder said. At the exasperated looks on their faces, Ryder continued. "Hey, I've believed you for a while. I just have my opinions about you," He looked pointedly at Aiden.

Aiden chuckled awkwardly, "Yeah, I know. We got off on the wrong foot, but I'm not like that anymore - I don't wanna be like that anymore."

"I guess," Ryder scoffed. "I don't know about that. You may be Mr. Goldenboy now, but it just seems kinda odd that you only changed because you wanted my sister." He saw the glare October shot his way, and shook his head. "You know, I think I'm just gonna chill back here and train or something. I'll see you at home."

As he walked back, October sighed. "I'm sorry about him. He's just being.. protective. When our parents died, he had a really, really hard time dealing with it and I'm all he has left, you know? He just wants to make sure I'm okay and around."

Aiden nodded. "I totally get it. It's fine. I'll gain his trust eventually, right?"

"Probably," October smiled. "But, Ryder's very complex. He has a hard time opening up and trusting people. He's been like that for two years now - since our parents. Don't take it personally. It's not you, it's him and he needs time."

He looked at her. "What about you? Have you had time to deal?"

"Yeah," She nodded. "Of course. Things have definitely changed since then and I've had my time. I mean, obviously I'll never not feel it, but its gotten a lot easier. I used to be afraid that, if I didn't think about it all the time, I would forget them and never forgive myself, but it's not true. My parents wouldn't want me to dwell on it; they'd want me to live a great life and be happy, and that's what I have to do. For Ryder.. it's a lot different and depressing." October shook her head. "I shouldn't talk about it, he might not be comfortable with it. Sorry,"

"Don't worry about it," Aiden let go of her hand and wrapped his arm around her instead. "As long as we're all okay - that's what matters. You can tell me about whenever you're comfortable." He said as they continued on down towards the town.

\- PRGG -

Jackie made it to her house and stood outside for a moment. It wasn't particularly large, but it had a very homely feeling to it that Jackie missed. She wondered what she had made such a connection with idly, though just from looking at it she knew why.

It was her childhood. She grew up for ten years in this house with her father, whom she adored. He would always spend time with her and would never let anything get in the way of it, which is something she experienced with her mother.

Logically, she knew that her mother with a Goddess, and had much more important things to do than dote on her daughter, but it still stung, which Jackie found strange. Emotions were never her strong suit, but this didn't mean that she didn't feel just as strongly as anyone else. She simply just didn't know how to express them, and always found a way to avoid them with logical reasons for everything.

Once she knew something was logically probable, she soon found herself confused as to why she felt an emotional response to it like she did.

Shaking her head as she didn't understand, she took a deep breath and knocked on the door. Jackie waited patiently until a man of average height, blonde hair, and gray eyes opened the door, his eyes widening when he saw her.

"Jackie," He breathed out in shocked, quickly pulling her in for a tight hug.

She was startled by the sudden reaction he gave, but wrapped her arms around him after a moment. "Hello, dad." She said a bit stiffly.

Her father, Eric Oberstar, pulled away after a few moments and looked her over. "My God, you've gotten so big," He shook his head in shock. "Come in. We have a lot to catch up on."

"Alright," Jackie smiled, and followed Eric into the house.

\- PRGG -

Mari had to pass by Sol Valley High School to get her purse, which she ended up leaving on the bleachers when she ran off to get to the fight. She made her way across the field, which was empty at this point, and up to where she remembered sitting, though didn't see her purse anywhere.

She was about to walk up to the lost and found, when she saw Bella standing at the top of the bleachers with her purse in hand, holding it up for her to see.

"Loose something?" Bella asked, one hand on her hip as Mari walked up to her with her head tilted down slightly. Mari went to take her purse, but Bella pulled it back. "First, we have to talk. If I give it to you now, you'll never listen to me."

Mari glared at her and snatched her purse back from Bella, putting it over her shoulder. "You're right - I won't."

Bella saw her start to walk down the bleachers and sighed exasperatedly. "I know you're the yellow ranger!" She announced, making Mari stop dead in her tracks.

"What?" Mari turned around and looked up at her, walking back up the bleachers to be face to face. "How do you know that?"

"That's more like it," Bella crossed her arms and smirked. "To answer your question, it was Ceres. I suppose you know who that is?"

"A Goddess," Mari responded a bit defensively. "Why would she tell you that?"

Bella shrugged, "Maybe it has something to do with the fact that she's my mother." At Mari's shocked expression, Bella nodded. "I'm a demigod, like you. She didn't tell me to talk to you, only your first name, but I knew I had to." She looked her up and down. "I know you don't like me."

"Because you're conceited and judgmental," Mari mocked her position. "I don't know if you've noticed, but it's not exactly something people fawn over."

"I don't care what you think, to be perfectly honest." Bella scoffed. "Your little opinion from your little mind means nothing to me. I only want to know why you're not gonna be a ranger anymore."

Mari frowned. "I have no idea what you're talking about," She said. "I would never quit being a ranger. Not unless I was dead."

Bella made a face. "Well, then why did my mother tell me that you're not gonna be a ranger?"

"I..." Mari trailed off, shaking her head. "I have no idea."

"Well, figure it out," Bella felt a bit bad by the expression on Mari's face, but turned away. "That's all I had to say. Don't tell anyone about what we talked about," Bella took her own purse and left hastily, before Mari could catch up to her and ask her what she was talking about.

\- PRGG -

At the command center, Ryder was sitting on the couch when Eliza walked in, a bit startled when she noticed he was there. She looked at him for a few moments, biting her lip as she thought about what to say.

After a bit of standing in the corner, she walked forward and made herself noticeable. When he saw her, she smiled, and he smiled back. "Hey," She said, coming over and sitting in a chair in the living room. "What are you still doing here?"

"Avoiding the lovebirds," Ryder rubbed a hand down his face. "They exhaust me."

Eliza frowned. "Why are you even worried about them?"

He sighed. "Because October's my sister, and I don't want to see her get hurt." Ryder glanced over at her, before speaking his next words a bit more quietly, "She's one of the only people in my life right now."

"What about the other rangers?" Eliza asked.

Ryder shrugged. "It's complicated."

"Oh," Eliza nodded, not wanted to push him on the issue. "Well, for whatever the reason, I'm sure they care about you and think of you like a friend. I know I do," She spoke, before blushing when she realized what she had said. She chuckled nervously when he smirked towards her. "I mean.. you know, there's nothing wrong with that! I do care about you, and there's nothing wrong with that."

"I didn't say anything," He chuckled. "I just didn't really expect such a candid revelation from you." When she looked away, obviously a bit embarrassed, he leaned forward and put a hand on her knee. "Hey, there's nothing wrong with that, right? I appreciate you saying that. Sometimes it's something I wanna hear rather than just.. know it."

Eliza looked back at him with a small smile on her face, "Well, you never have to worry about it. I'll tell you it anytime you wanna hear it."

"Maybe I'll take you up on that," He returned a smile. He was about to speak more when the door opened loudly and Mari entered, looking slightly disheveled. Both Ryder and Eliza looked back, a bit confused. "Mari, are you alright?" He asked.

Mari looked at him, startled. "What? Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Just.. had hard day. I'm gonna go upstairs and sleep it off." She said, ignoring anything else they said as she walked up the stairs and into her room.

Eliza watched her with a nervous expression on her face, but turned back to Ryder when he stood up. "Well, I don't know what that was about, but I should probably get going." He said. "October will start to wonder where I am." He walked around the couch and over to the door, her following him. "We should hang out sometime. Like, just the two of us. If you want,"

She smiled, and nodded. "Of course. I'd love that." He smiled back and nodded, before turning to the leave. Just before he left, she grabbed him by the arm and pulled him close, kissing him on the lips suddenly. Ryder leaned into her, as she leaned back. She then pulled away, looking slightly embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I just had to do that in case anything happened."

"Anything happened?" He frowned. "What do you mean?"

Eliza shrugged. "Just.. being careful," She forced a smile. "I'm sorry."

Ryder chuckled. "Completely fine. I'd let a pretty girl kiss me anyday, especially if I was already asking her out on a date." He smiled. "I'll see you soon."

"Okay," Eliza watched him walk off, before closing the door behind her and leaning against it. "Damn it." She said miserably.

\- PRGG -

The next day, Mari was walking through the halls when she saw Jackie putting books away in her locker. She remembered what Bella said about what Ceres said, and decided to ask Jackie about it.

"Hey," Mari greeted, attracting Jackie's attention. "I didn't know you went here."

Jackie nodded. "That is due to this being my first day," She looked her over. "Did you need something?"

Mari sighed. "Yeah, actually. I really needed to ask you something. Have the Gods said anything about me? Like, about me not being the yellow ranger sometime?"

"Where did you hear such a thing?" Jackie frowned, though it was obvious by the look on her face that she knew exactly what she was talking about.

Mari crossed her arms. "Bella, this girl that goes here, told me. I wasn't sure what she meant by it, but it's pretty plain to see that you know something about this too."

"I..." Jackie was cut off when their lockets got hot around their necks. "I will tell you after the battle. Come, we must hurry,"

"Alright," Mari and Jackie made their way out of the hallway and outside, only to find the battle right outside the fence of the school. "Who is that?" Mari asked, looking at the woman standing the middle of the wreckage, who was attacking people.

Jackie stared at her in shock for a few moments, allowing the others to get there before she spoke. "That's Phoebe, one of the original Titans. She's very powerful. We must be careful."

Just as she spoke, Phoebe turned back to look at them, a sickening grin on her face when she saw them. "Oh rangers.. I've been waiting for you."

Aiden stepped forward. "We're gonna take you down! Ready?"

"Ready."

"Guardians, Rise Up!"

"Red Guardian!"

"Pink Guardian!"

"Green Guardian!"

"Blue Guardian!"

"Yellow Guardian!"

"White Guardian!"

The rangers ran forward into the battle, unaware of Bella watching them from the field. She was a bit nervous to be anywhere near the battle, especially when she currently had no suit to protect her like the rangers had, but she sneaked forward and hid behind a car to watch the fight.

Phoebe easily rammed through the rangers, seeming to hardly break a sweat and was hardly injured by anything she did. She grabbed Aiden by the arm and flipped him over her shoulder, slamming him hard into the ground with almost no effort. There was a small crater where he landed, and she simply kicked him to the side, paying him no mind.

She moved towards one of the rangers she had already put down, October, though she was quickly stopped by a blast of water hitting her back. Phoebe turned around to see Luca standing there with his hand thrusted forward, using a water fountain to draw water from. She rolled her eyes and put her hand out towards him, shooting a beam of light towards him and throwing him back into a nearby building, and effectively demorphing him.

"Luca!" Mari cried out, scrambling to her feet and attempting to run over to him. She was stopped when Phoebe turned her hand towards Mari and used an energy field-like force to grasp her and lift her off the ground. Phoebe smirked and slowly began to close her fist, tightening the hold on Mari as she struggled to get loose. Mari's breath was forced out of her lungs and she demorphed, still being held up by this force.

Aiden growled under his breath and forced himself to his feet, using his spear to stab at Phoebe's hand, causing her to drop Mari and turn her attention back on him. She growled and grabbed his spear, throwing it to the side, before slamming her fist into his stomach until he demorphed, then she threw him off to the side and shook her head. "Pathetic demigods,"

Phoebe turned her attention back to October, staring directly at her. Jackie saw this and jumped off of the ground, using her blaster to distract Phoebe. It worked, as the Titan turned towards her, her glare penetrating as she stalked forward, barely stumbling back each time Jackie blasted her. Jackie backed away slightly, but Phoebe put her hand out and clenched her fist, stopping Jackie from moving.

She grabbed Jackie by the the fabric of her suit and pulled her as close as possible, her eyes boring in the white ranger's as she spoke lowly, "Don't test me, girl." She spat. "I only have one reason for being here, and it's not to deal with you, you pathetic little demigod," Phoebe threw Jackie off to the side, demorphing her, and walked over to October, this time undeterred.

Kneeling down, she looked at the pink ranger, and smirked at her. "I've been waiting to get you to myself," Phoebe said, making October reach immediately for her sword. Before she could grasp it, however, Phoebe grabbed her by the arm and threw her to the side, right into the car Bella was hiding behind.

Bella flinched at the sound of October's body hitting the car and peered under it to see if she could see what was happening. All she could see were Phoebe's feet, and the bottom half of October's body, as she was sitting against the car. Bella cursed herself for getting into this position, and got into a kneeling position once more, looking through the windows in the car and hoping not to be seen as the battle went on in front of her.

October sat against the car, still morphed, as Phoebe stood towering above her, looking down at the pink ranger. "Well, well. Looks like I can finally take you all for myself, doesn't it?"

"Never," October pulled out her blaster, pointing it direct at Phoebe. As she did so, Phoebe quickly turned and grabbed Ryder off the ground by the neck, the green ranger still morphed and struggling against her hold as he was held up and his oxygen was cut off. October immediately froze, her finger on the trigger.

Phoebe glared at her, "If you resist me, I'll kill him instantly."

Ryder kicked Phoebe in the stomach, causing her to groan and drop him. He fell on his hands and knees, gasping for air, but quickly made his way to his feet and pulled his sword out, swinging it directly at the Titan. Phoebe caught his sword in her hand unflinchingly before throwing her arm back against his throat. He made a choking sound and fell to his knees, demorphing in front of her. He glowered up at her defiantly as he coughed, just as she threw her elbow back and hit him hard in the face, making him fall to the ground, unconscious.

"Ryder?" October gasped out, shocked.

Phoebe kicked her in the chin of her helmet, knocking her against the car once more and finally demorphing her. She grabbed October roughly by the arm and lifted her to her feet, pulling her arm behind her back and making her face towards the school.

When October was turned around, she saw Bella and her eyes widened. The two made eye contact right before Phoebe forced October's head onto the car, knocking her out and letting her fall bonelessly into Phoebe's grasp. Bella tried to back away from the car, but she was stopped by a voice.

"You're really gonna try to run from me?" Phoebe shook her head. "Pathetic girl," She put her free hand out towards Bella and trapped her like she had done to Mari, quickly tightening her fist and slamming her into the ground, knocking her unconscious.

Aiden tried to get up from the ground to no avail as he had to watch Phoebe carry October and Bella away before falling unconscious.

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Guardians of the Galaxy:** October and Bella wake up to find themselves trapped in a large plan by Phoebe to destroy the world, and try to figure out how to stop it. Meanwhile, Eliza finally opens up about what she knows, and Mari makes the ultimate sacrifice.

 **Next Chapter Title:** Marissa's Sacrifice

 **The next chapter is going to be about what certain characters have been talking about, which is Mari's fate. A few of you may not be particularly happy with where this is going, but it will all come together as I do have a plan for Mari in the end.**

 **So, I would really like to update all four of my stories over the next four days, especially since I've been gone for a while (I've been really busy over the holidays), but I currently only have this chapter and the next one to Emergency Responders written. I was working on getting to Rainbow Fighters and Earth Defenders but I didn't have time over the last few weeks. I'm really gonna try to crank those out by Tuesday and Wednesday, but please don't get too disappointed if I update them a day or two late. Thanks for understanding!**

 **Anyways, I have a poll on my page if you want to vote on it. A few people already have, and I've discovered that you guys seem to like Emergency Responders as my #1 series, which is really awesome since that's also one of my favorites! Luckily, if you do like that series, I'll be posting that chapter tomorrow, so be on the lookout!**

 **Oh, and here are the upcoming chapters!**

 **Ep 14: Daughter of Nature -** Part two. TBA becomes a ranger.

 **Ep 15: Clash of the Rangers -** Part three (final part of the arc). New ranger focused chapter.

 **Ep 16: Love Animals -** Luca focused chapter.

 **Ep 17: Collision Part I -** Ryder focused chapter.

 **Ep 18: Collision Part II -** Ryder focused chapter.

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, and I'll see you guys soon! Bye!**

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


	13. Ep 13: Marissa's Sacrifice

**Hey guys! I'm happy to show you this chapter since I do think it's one of the best (and heaviest) I've ever written, but it's very bittersweet. I'm sure you all know why, but in case you don't, I won't spoil why until the end when I give you some of my thoughts on why I did this and what I think about it.**

 **I could understand why I few of you might not be too pleased as to where this is going, and feel free to leave your thoughts in the reviews - even if it's criticism, because I would completely understand. Please nothing too harsh though!**

 **One more thing - this is also the last chapter with the original opening video and cover photo, as I'll be changing them for you guys in the next chapter!**

* * *

 **Last time on Power Rangers: Guardians of the Galaxy**

Kneeling down, she looked at the pink ranger, and smirked at her. "I've been waiting to get you to myself," Phoebe said, making October reach immediately for her sword. Before she could grasp it, however, Phoebe grabbed her by the arm and threw her to the side, right into the car Bella was hiding behind.

Bella flinched at the sound of October's body hitting the car and peered under it to see if she could see what was happening. All she could see were Phoebe's feet, and the bottom half of October's body, as she was sitting against the car. Bella cursed herself for getting into this position, and got into a kneeling position once more, looking through the windows in the car and hoping not to be seen as the battle went on in front of her.

October sat against the car, still morphed, as Phoebe stood towering above her, looking down at the pink ranger. "Well, well. Looks like I can finally take you all for myself, doesn't it?"

"Never," October pulled out her blaster, pointing it direct at Phoebe. As she did so, Phoebe quickly turned and grabbed Ryder off the ground by the neck, the green ranger still morphed and struggling against her hold as he was held up and his oxygen was cut off. October immediately froze, her finger on the trigger.

Phoebe glared at her, "If you resist me, I'll kill him instantly."

Ryder kicked Phoebe in the stomach, causing her to groan and drop him. He fell on his hands and knees, gasping for air, but quickly made his way to his feet and pulled his sword out, swinging it directly at the Titan. Phoebe caught his sword in her hand unflinchingly before throwing her arm back against his throat. He made a choking sound and fell to his knees, demorphing in front of her. He glowered up at her defiantly as he coughed, just as she threw her elbow back and hit him hard in the face, making him fall to the ground, unconscious.

"Ryder?" October gasped out, shocked.

Phoebe kicked her in the chin of her helmet, knocking her against the car once more and finally demorphing her. She grabbed October roughly by the arm and lifted her to her feet, pulling her arm behind her back and making her face towards the school.

When October was turned around, she saw Bella and her eyes widened. The two made eye contact right before Phoebe forced October's head onto the car, knocking her out and letting her fall bonelessly into Phoebe's grasp. Bella tried to back away from the car, but she was stopped by a voice.

"You're really gonna try to run from me?" Phoebe shook her head. "Pathetic girl," She put her free hand out towards Bella and trapped her like she had done to Mari, quickly tightening her fist and slamming her into the ground, knocking her unconscious.

Aiden tried to get up from the ground to no avail as he had to watch Phoebe carry October and Bella away before falling unconscious.

 **Now**

October groaned lowly as she came to, her head pounding and her body feeling so sore she could've sworn she was hit by a truck. A hand was quickly on her shoulder, shaking her and a voice was calling her to wake up.

She opened her eyes, blinking a few times to bring her vision into focus, before looking to the side and seeing Bella kneeling above her. October sat up, making Bella's hand fall off of her shoulder, looking around in confusion.

"Where are we?" She asked, forcing herself to her feet as she took in their surroundings.

A large, yellow tinted dome surrounded them and a large group of other people, some of which were awake and looking around, while others were unconscious, with some even seeming to be dead. October looked towards the side of the dome, where there was a glowing box-like device that seemed to be creating the yellow dome.

October walked over to it slowly and reached out to touch the box, when a voice stopped her. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," She looked up to see Phoebe standing there, her arms crossed and a smirk on her face. "You touch the box, you die."

"You're gonna kill me if I touch it?" October crossed her arms, glaring at the titan as Bella stood behind her, watching the exchange. "Why not just do it now? You've already got us in here - what do you want with us?"

Phoebe shook her head. "I don't want to kill you just yet. You're here to draw out the rest of the rangers, where I'll proceed to bring them in here, steal their powers, and destroy you all."

The pink ranger rolled her eyes. "They're not going to fall for your trap. And, anyways, how exactly do you expect to take our powers? I mean, you may be a titan or whatever, but something tells me you don't have _that_ much power."

"Really?" Phoebe chuckled. "Because my little box right there has already taken both of yours, so if you were thinking about attacking me, it's probably not a good idea."

October frowned, glancing back at Bella, before looking at Phoebe. "Both of our powers? Bella isn't a demigod, sorry to inform you."

"I think I'd know a demigod if I saw one," Phoebe retorted. "Just because you didn't know about it, doesn't mean it's not true. Besides, that box is powered by godly energy, which means that it gets more powerful every time anyone with a godly background of any kind is placed in here. In other words, I can tell when a demigod comes through the barrier."

"You don't know anything," Bella growled out, scowling at the titan.

"I know more than you, little girl," Phoebe said, walking past October and grabbing Bella's face, getting close to her. "I know who you're meant to be, but I won't tell our friend over there. Your secret's safe with me."

October walked over and ripped Phoebe away from Bella, making her hit the ground hard. "Get away from her."

Phoebe stood up, dusting herself off. "You're lucky I'm waiting." She warned, as she turned and pushed past the various civilians until she was in a circle in the middle of the dome that seemed to be cut off from others, as some were bumping into the wall as they were walking.

"I think," October turned to Bella, looking her up and down. "That we have some things to talk about?"

Bella crossed her arms. "I guess so."

 **\- Cue Opening -**

Luca and Mari sat on the couch, the former with a nervous look on his face while the latter had a worried one on her face, as they watched Ryder and Aiden try to deal with their situation. Jackie sat beside them with a stoic look on her face, a stark contrast to all of the others. Eliza was also in the room, though she was standing off to the side and watching them with worry.

The four watched as Aiden paced worriedly and Ryder sat in a chair to the side of the couch, his head bowed and clasped in his hands.

"I can't believe this is happening." Ryder mumbled. "This can't be happening."

Mari rubbed her arm, before leaning towards him cautiously. "It'll be alright. We'll get October back."

Ryder looked up at her, his expression one of devastation. "You can't tell me that, because we have no idea where she even is."

"He's right," Aiden agreed, a hard look on his face. "She could be dead by now, for all we know."

Suddenly, Aiden was pinned against the wall by an enraged Ryder. "Don't say that! Don't you dare fucking say that to me! I'll kill you before that happens!"

"Ryder!" Mari and Luca jumped up from the couch, pulling the green ranger off of the red. "Stop!"

He pulled out of their grasps, glaring at them all. "If anyone says anything like that again, I'll kill them. I swear to god."

"Okay, just calm down." Mari put a hand on his shoulder, though it was immediately shrugged off. "I promise you, on my life, that October will be safe. I'll save her myself if I have to, alright? I swear to you."

Ryder looked her up and down. "How can you say that so surely?"

Mari sighed. "I know October. She's one of the strongest people I've ever met. There's no way she'll let Phoebe beat her. You know that, don't you?"

"I..." He trailed off. "I want to believe that."

She pulled him in for a hug, which he surprisingly accepted. While other rangers interacted, Jackie walked over to Eliza, who had paled considerably at Mari's declaration of saving October. "She's gonna do it," Eliza swallowed hard. "Isn't she?"

Jackie sighed, nodding. "It has always been her destiny."

Eliza scowled. "And I'm supposed to just stand by and let this happen?"

"That's your job, Eliza." Jackie informed her. "I do not want Mari to suffer this fate either, but it is what's going to happen. We do not have a choice in the matter."

The intern shook her head. "We always have a choice."

"Allowing her to avoid this fate could affect the whole world." Jackie responded. "As much as I appreciate what Mari has done, we cannot risk the fate of the world for her to continue on her path as a ranger."

"So, I can't do anything about it?" Eliza looked at her, a broken expression lining her features.

"You know the Gods will punish you if you do different," Jackie said. "You will have to stand trial for your sins - most likely to be sentenced to death. You have lived among the gods just as I have, and you are aware of their brutality in these circumstances."

Eliza took in a deep breath. "Yes, I am."

"Then, you should also be aware that they will punish Mari for your sins," Jackie added on. "They will not just allow this to go on, at the risk of humanity." Jackie looked at the other rangers. "Are you going to tell them?"

She looked at the white ranger as if she was crazy. "What? I can't!" She exclaimed in a hushed tone. "They'll never trust me again; they'd condemn me faster than the Gods ever could."

Jackie observed her. "No, they would try to stop Mari and thank you for letting them know. You do not want them to do so. You are afraid."

Eliza ran a hand through her hair, looking at the ground guiltily. "I can't face the Gods, Jackie. I'm so scared." She admitted. "Please don't tell them. I'll figure something out, just please don't tell them."

"I will not tell them," Jackie told her. "It's not my place. I know you will do the right thing."

"I hope so," Eliza sighed. "I really do."

\- PRGG -

Bella looked October up and down, before looking at the locket around her neck, which immediately drew in her attention, specifically to the power coin next to it on the chain. "I had no idea you were one of the rangers. I only knew about Mari."

"Yeah, well, I had no idea you were a demigod," October responded. "Who's your parent? I see an aura around you, but it's not too distinctive. It's yellow and looks.. earthy somehow."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, and you look like you're surrounded by a cloud of glitter." Bella muttered. "My mother is Ceres, the Goddess of agriculture."

October nodded, "That makes sense. How long have you known about this?"

"For a while," Bella shrugged. "I mean, I always knew about the powers I had, just not where they came from, until a week or so ago. I'm guessing you've known about this your whole life?"

The pink ranger shook her head. "No, I didn't know until we got our ranger powers. I believe it was on the first day of school."

Bella crossed her arms. "I see. So, who's your parent?"

"Venus," October responded. "The Goddess of love and beauty. All six of us have different parents, if you were wondering."

"Wait, so what are your powers, exactly? I mean, your mom is the Goddess of love and beauty. What can you do to fight against monsters?" Bella chuckled.

October rolled her eyes. "I can change any part of my body at will, and I can control people with my voice. What can you do? I mean, your mom is the Goddess of agriculture." She mocked.

"I can create plant life, and use it to attack others." Bella replied, scowling. "So, the others are?"

"Aiden is the son of Jupiter, the God of the Sky; Ryder is the son of Mars, the God of War; Luca is the son of Neptune, the God of the sea; Mari is the daughter of Vesta, the Goddess of Hearth and Fire; and Jackie is the daughter of Minerva, the Goddess of Wisdom." October rattled off. "She's new - Jackie. She joined the team yesterday."

"Yeah, I was wondering who that was," Bella nodded slowly, before looking at October with a confused expression. "Ryder's your brother, isn't he?"

October crossed her arms. "Yeah, why?"

"How come you guys have different parents?"

The pink ranger breathed out, looking off to the side. "That's really not any of your business, now is it?"

Bella shrugged. "I guess not. I was just wondering." She looked her up and down. "Why are you being so stand-offish?"

"You bullied Mari." October glared at her. "And you know that you did, and I don't think you feel any remorse for it at all. You probably thought it was funny, laughing about it with your friends, but it wasn't. I don't care what you think of her, but I know who Mari is, and she's a lot better person than you are."

Bella whistled lowly. "Wow, that's pretty harsh, October. Especially for you. Just keep something in mind: you may know Mari, but you don't know me, so you can't judge me like that."

October raised an eyebrow. "Alright then, tell me that you honestly feel bad for treating her like shit, because she told me how you were."

She scoffed. "I was a kid, and you still think I act like that?"

"Yeah, I do, actually." October nodded. "I saw you trip her in the locker room, or was that just me?"

Bella looked down. "That was a lapse in judgment. I haven't done anything to her since, if you haven't noticed. I'm better than that."

October shook her head. "Or you just think you are." She walked away, trying to look for a way to get out, with a scowling Bella on her heels.

\- PRGG -

Liela approached the rangers in the living room, seeing Aiden and Ryder being a bit more calm than they were earlier, though they still seemed very on edge about October's kidnapping. She had her tablet in hand, scrolling through some heat signatures of the town.

"There's a large dome grow in the center of town." Liela announced to them. "I'm not sure if this is were Phoebe has taken October, and possible other victims, but I'm still scanning to see if I can locate her in that area."

Luca frowned. "I know this is a bit off topic, but wouldn't Mason usually be doing that?"

She nodded, a stoic look on her face. "Yes, well, unfortunately, Mason won't be joining us anymore. I didn't know to tell you guys this, but all of this has been a lot on him over the years and he needed a break, so asked me if it was possible to be able to take a break, and I couldn't say no. I assume he won't be back until all of this is over."

Aiden looked up at her gloomily. "Can't you give us any good news?"

"Eliza is officially our full-time intern." Liela offered up, giving a small smile, though none of the rangers returned it. "Anyways, it'll be a few minutes, but I'm sure I can lock onto October's location."

Ryder looked up at her, a pained look lining his features. "And if she's..." He trailed off, not being able to finish his sentence.

"Well, I guess I can give you some more good news," Liela responded. "If October was.. dead, her demigod powers would no longer give off a signature to track. Her ranger morpher might, but he abilities would not, and that's what I've been using to track her. I'm almost certain that she's alive."

"Are you serious?" Ryder stared in shock. "My sister's alive?"

Liela nodded. "Yes, I can confirm that."

Ryder breathed out a sigh of relief and rubbed a hand down his face. "Oh my God. I thought.. I thought I lost her." He looked over at Aiden. "Hey, I'm umm.. sorry. I know you weren't saying that out of spite, but because you were upset she was gone."

"Oh," Aiden looked at him, surprised. "Yeah, it's fine. You don't have to be sorry, I understand where you're coming from."

"Thanks," Ryder said awkwardly, looking back down.

Mari stood up and walked over to Eliza, who was standing in the corner of the room, watching them all interact. As she walked over, Eliza looked at her with a startled expression. "Mari, hey."

"Hey," Mari looked at her worriedly. "Are you alright, Eliza?"

Eliza stared at her for a moment, before sighing. "Come here," She pulled Mari into the nearby hallway, out of earshot of the others. "I've been keeping a secret from you guys for a while now, but I really need to tell you before its too late."

The yellow ranger frowned. "What do you mean?"

"When you get to that dome to rescue October, the only way to free her is to break the device creating the dome," Eliza told her. "And, in doing so, one would likely die from the explosion created by destroying it."

Mari took a step back, "Are you saying that October is gonna die?"

Eliza shook her head. "No, she's not. The person who destroys the dome is gonna die, and, according to legends on Mount Olympus, that person is you."

"I..." Mari breathed out in shock, staring at Eliza. "What.. that's impossible. Are you joking?"

"Why would I joke about something like this?" Eliza asked. "Look, I know this seems crazy and you probably have no idea why I'm telling you this, but it's because I'm afraid and I don't want anything to happen to you. You're my friend, and I want you to live a long life."

"So, you're warning me?" Mari ran a hand through her hair. "But, if the Gods told you this was going to happen, then you can't tell me. What's gonna happen if they find out that you told me?"

The intern looked down. "It doesn't matter - we don't have much time. Liela's going to figure out where October is in a few minutes."

"Does Liela know?" Mari said. "About me?"

"No, she doesn't. She's totally in the dark about this." Eliza assured her. "But that's not the point. Look, you four can figure something else out to free October and everyone else, but afterwards you have to leave your morpher behind and run for you life. There's no other choice."

Mari swallowed hard. "Why do I have to leave if I survive?"

Eliza sighed. "Because, you're not supposed to be the yellow ranger, Mari. There's someone else, and your death is the way she gets your morpher. I'm hoping that you leaving will prevent any harm to come to you and will appease the Gods, but I don't know, and that's why you need to leave."

"I'm not the true yellow ranger?" Mari had a devastated look on her face, putting her hand to the side of her head. "All this time - that's why every monster doesn't think I'm worth it?! Because they knew I was gonna die?!"

Looking at her guiltily, Eliza nodded. "I'm so sorry. I think you're a great ranger, and I think the Gods are wrong for doing this, but we don't have any choice in the matter."

"This isn't your fault," Mari reassured her, taking in a deep breath to contain herself. "I just had no idea how insignificant I was until now."

Eliza glared at her, "No." She growled out. "Don't you dare say that. You're worth so much more than you're getting. You deserve better! You don't have to die!"

Mari looked up with a sad expression. "I appreciate that, but I think your wrong. If I don't do this, October, my best friend, will die."

"No, there has to be another way to save her without losing you." Eliza said defiantly.

She shook her head. "But, you and I both know that there probably isn't. Look, the only things that I have in my life are all of you, and being a ranger. I have no other friends, my family left me here, and I'm about to not have my ranger powers. October does. She is so important to everybody she's around and everything that does. She has everything that I could've ever wanted, and she shared it with me. October opened up her life to me. She got me in here, tried to get me a job, and is like a big sister to be. My life means so much less when compared to hers. She _has_ to live, no matter what the cost. I can't live in a world without her, especially not like this."

"Mari," Eliza looked at her sympathetically. "I..." She was cut off when Liela yelled over to Mari to join the others, causing Eliza to stare at Mari in shock.

"It's okay." Mari said, giving her a small smile. "I want you to know that I appreciate everything you've ever done for me, and that you're a good friend."

Before the intern could say anything else, Mari ran out of the hallway and join the others on their way to the battle.

\- PRGG -

Bella followed October back to the device that seemed to be creating the whole dome, and watched as the pink ranger observed it, trying to figure out how she could possibly disable it to get free.

"Hey," Bella said, stopping her from touching it. "I know you have no reason to believe Phoebe, but I wouldn't take any chances. If she's right, you could die."

October glared at her. "Why do you care?"

"Look, I'm sorry about Mari, okay?" Bella responded, grabbing October's arm and spinning her around to face her. "I talked to her yesterday, and I know she doesn't like me, nor do you, and you apparently have no reason to. Look, I may not like Mari and may think that I'm better than her, but that doesn't excuse my actions."

The pink ranger shook her head. "That was the worst apology ever, but I guess it's a start. What I want to know is: if you don't care about Mari's opinion or anything, why do you care about mine?"

Bella frowned. "What makes you think that I do?"

October rolled her eyes. "Oh, cut the crap. Obviously you care about my opinion, or you wouldn't be apologizing and explaining yourself."

"Well, I don't know," Bella shrugged. "If you're so smart, why don't you figure it out?"

"I think I have." October replied, her arms crossed. "I think I'm the first person to ever force you to really look at yourself and avoid the bullshit vague responses. I think you've never really had a real friend before, and you're trying to figure out if you want me to be one for you. That's why you care so much."

Bella stared at her. "How am I supposed to respond to that?"

"Anyway you want to," October said. "All I want you to know is that I'll accept you if you do right by yourself and others. You've already.. _tried_ apologizing, which means that there's some good in you." She gave her a small smile. "I believe in you, if it makes you feel any better."

"It..." She was cut off when the two saw a camera crew setting up outside of the dome, with a newscaster beginning to talk in front of them. "What the hell is going on?"

"The humans are interested in my affairs," Phoebe's voice came from behind them as she sauntered towards them at the edge of the dome, where they were all standing. She tilted her head at them, before grabbing October and slamming her against the dome's side, which felt like it was made of glass.

The sound made from October's body connecting with the dome attracted the attention of the newscaster. "You all see this girl?" Phoebe growled out. "She's the pink ranger! I've taken her hostage, and before long, I'll have all of the others as well."

October's eyes widened as Phoebe showed them her locket, proving her to be a ranger on live TV. "Stop! Don't do this!" She pushed against Phoebe, getting out of her grasp, but it was too late as many of the camera's turned on her to show her to the world.

As the press began to overlap each other with questions, a group of Titans appeared at the snap of Phoebe's fingertips to attack them. October ran up to the wall of the dome and pounded on it, gesturing for the newscasters and press to run, which they began to, just as a blaster destroyed one of the Titans.

Everyone looked over to see the remaining five rangers run up, completely morphed and with their weapons out.

October, in particular, looked at them in relief. "They're okay." She whispered to herself, and could practically feel the relief radiate from the others as they saw her.

"Like I said," Phoebe smirked evilly, "I'll have the others as well."

She moved over to the device and put her open palm just above it, before using her other hand to push out of the dome and face the rangers. They all watched as the powers were sucked from the rangers, demorphing them and leaving them only with the weapons they were holding.

The five other rangers fell to the their knees and to the ground for a moment, winded from their powers being taken, before standing back up, only to realize the cameras now on them.

October turned immediately to Phoebe, "I thought you said it only takes the powers of those who cross into it."

"I lied," Phoebe gave her a dark look, before pushing past October and Bella, making her way back up into her safe location.

The others tried not to let the cameras affect their performance, and ran forward anyways, prepared to fight the Titans, which they knew weren't hard to fight, even unmorphed.

Aiden kicked one down, before stabbing one straight through with his sword. He glared at another as it tried to attack Luca from behind, before punching it, knocking it to the ground without letting it take the chance.

He grabbed the Titan up from the ground and lifted it over his head, throwing it towards a small group that was coming at him, knocking them all down. Aiden took a deep breath. "Man, you guys are a bit heavier without our powers." He quipped, before running back in.

Luca ducked under a sword and swept the feet out from one of the Titans. He shot one with his blaster as he stood up straight, and then kicked one that came at him from the side.

"Even if it's a bit harder, you're still no match for us," He said confidently as he shot at one that was about to go for the press. "Not even without our powers."

Ryder nodded as he stabbed one completely through with his spear, so far that he ended up stabbing the one behind it. He jumped backwards to avoid a kick, before swinging his spear all around him, knocking down a group that was trying to surround him.

"He's right, you know. You guys are pathetic." The green ranger held his spear to the ground and used it to jump up and kick one in the head, before stabbing behind him as he heard one sneak up behind him.

Mari, meanwhile, made a beeline for the device that was creating the dome. She could see that half of the box was inside the dome and half was out, which meant that she had a clear shot of it.

October came up to the side of the dome. "What are you doing?" She asked, seeing Mari stare at the box while she held her sword tightly in her hand.

The yellow ranger looked up at her, a strangely peaceful look on her face. "I'm saving you."

"But that thing is dangerous." October warned her. "You could get really hurt, or die, if you mess with it."

Mari shook her head. "I'm fine. Just step back so you don't get caught in the backlash of when the dome dies down."

October stared at her. "What about you?" She asked, but she began to back up anyways, trusting Mari.

"It'll be okay," Mari assured her in a soothing tone, one October recognized, though she did so too late.

The pink ranger screamed, "No!" As Mari plunged her sword straight into the device holding the dome up, causing it to spark rapidly and instantly explode, sending a shock-wave through the entire area, knocking everyone back, including October. She tried to lift herself up and see through the dust clouding the area, but she fell back to the ground and fell unconscious.

\- PRGG -

As October came to, the first thing she registered was that she knew her powers were back. It was a strange sensation, but one she now could definitely tell she was missing before. She also knew this because she felt a lot better, when she assumed her injuries would be bad.

She soon heard a male voice talking loudly - as if he was angry or wanted to be in control. "Get out!" He yelled, a voice she quickly identified to be Ryder. "No press! My sister's hurt and needs rest! Get the hell out!"

The pink ranger heard a bit of a scuffle, before a door was slammed and blinds were shut. It was at this instance that she knew she had to open her eyes to find out what was going on.

Her eyes peeled open and she squinted initially against the bright lights of where she figured out to be the hospital. As soon as her eyes adjusted, she turned to look at Ryder, who was leaning head-first against a wall, one of his fists up beside his head. He clearly looked to be in distress.

October cleared her throat softly, before speaking. "Ryder?" She asked, and he immediately turned to her, leaving her stunned. His face was one of devastation, with tear tracks and puffy eyes. Since October knew how her brother was one to usually hide his emotions, she was startled to see that. "What's going on? Are you okay?"

"October," He whispered, walking forward and quickly embracing her in a tight hug.

She returned the embrace. "Ryder, what's happening?" October asked, clasping the back of his neck as she hugged him back. "Where are the others?"

Ryder pulled away from her and sat in a chair next to her bed. "Aiden, Luca, and Jackie are in the waiting room, and Bella, who you were with, is getting checked out." He replied.

"Yeah," October nodded, gesturing for him to continue. "What about Mari?"

He scanned her face. "Do you remember what happened?"

"The press found out about us," October replied. "And..." She breathed out in shock. "Mari destroyed the dome. Where is she, Ryder?"

"After the dome exploded, you and everyone inside were either knocked out or dead. Phoebe was destroyed. We, on the outside, were winded and a bit beat up, but mostly fine, with all of the Titans gone..." He trailed off. "Except for Mari. We found her on the ground, unresponsive. We called for Liela or Eliza while the press called ambulances."

October stared at him, a stunned expression on her face. "And?"

Ryder sighed. "Eliza showed up, and told us that Mari sacrificed herself for us. That she, Eliza, had told Mari about how she was going to die if she did it, and because of Eliza's interference, Mari decided to it..." He paused, his face contorted in a pained manner. "Mari is dead." He choked out. "She sacrificed herself to save us."

The pink ranger was silent for a long few moments, before she spoke quietly. "No. Tha.. that can't be right."

"It is." Ryder said, his voice thick with emotion. "A paramedic came over and told us that she was dead. She had no heartbeat, she wasn't breathing, and they couldn't do anything about it, apparently. Oh, and here's the best part. Just as we were going to go to the hospital with you, the stretcher that she was on to be transported to the hospital with.. it was empty. She just gone, presumably by the Gods since she's a demigod and they probably have something they do with dead demigods."

October swallowed hard against the devastation that was building up. "She's gone?"

He nodded. "Yeah, she's gone. Her and her body are gone, so, because of some fucking stupid Godly business, we can't even say goodbye to one of our best friends, who died to save us. Isn't that just fantastic?"

She watched Ryder, seeing how all of his emotions were breaking loose, as were hers. October felt tears running down her face as she glared at nothing, before she turned to her brother and gestured for him to sit on the bed.

Ryder, at first, refused, not wanting to engage in anything else that had to do with the loss of one of their teammates - someone they loved like family. After a few moments, he finally got up and sat on the side of the bed, immediately going to hug his sister.

October held him tightly, looking forward in shock as she thought about the last words Mari had said to her.

 _"It'll be okay,"_

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Guardians of the Galaxy:** A month after Mari's death, the rangers are still grieving and have no yellow ranger. While they deal with the aftermath of what happened and fight a new monster named Arachne, Bella finds herself in the possession of the yellow ranger morpher.

 **Next Chapter Title:** Daughter Of Nature

 **I know some people might have somethings to say to me, and feel free to do so in the reviews below, but I want to give my thoughts on what I just did, which means this may be a longer author's note.** **To start, when I was creating this series, there was always a certain intention to do something like this, though it turned out a lot differently than I thought it would. I initially tried to create Mari as a character that I, personally, wouldn't like, so that I wouldn't feel as bad about doing this. She, however, evolved as the story was being written into a character that I now love.**

 **Unfortunately, I already had the whole story planned out with this in mind. It does not make me happy to have to say goodbye to this character for now as she is definitely a great one - at least, in my opinion - but I am pleased to say that she will have a long and heavy impact on the other characters and I'm looking forward to writing a real, deep reaction to this death, which I don't think I've done in the past with my other stories (even though characters have died in those).**

 **I really hope you guys are going to like Bella as she grows and changes with the story, and the other main characters with their changes that are going to come from these events. Keep in mind that I always have a plan in the end for my characters, including Mari. I'm looking forward to showing you guys what's up next.**

 **Here are the upcoming chapters.**

 **Ep 15: The Trial -** Eliza focused chapter - concludes this arc.

 **Ep 16: Love Animals -** Luca focused chapter.

 **Ep 17: Collision Part I -** Ryder focused chapter.

 **Ep 18: Collision Part II -** Ryder focused chapter.

 **Ep 19: No Place Like Home -** Aiden focused chapter.

 **I truly hope you guys liked this chapter, and I'll see you soon with the next one.**

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


	14. Ep 14: Daughter Of Nature

**Hey guys! I was really happy to see that no one had anything bad to say about the last chapter, which I hope means that you guys liked it! I hope you like this one too!**

 **I should mention that all of the original team (Aiden, October, Ryder, and Luca) are wearing different clothes in this chapter. It was something I wanted to update since this is kind of a new start for them. The clothes described after the first part of this chapter are now their main clothes - Jackie's and any others will stay the same.**

 **Also, the new cover photo and video (link in my bio) are up! Feel free to check those out!**

* * *

A week had passed since Mari's untimely passing, and the other five rangers were all standing in the command center, preparing for a funeral of sorts. Since Mari's body was nowhere to be found, the team unfortunately had nothing to put to rest. Instead, they decided to have a small ceremony on the beach next to the command center.

The world knew about them now, also, adding even further to their pain every time any questions were asked about the yellow ranger's death. None of the rangers knew how to respond, and always ignored the questions.

Unfortunately, the press knew where the command center was now. They couldn't get in, or too close even, since Liela had upgraded the security system to not allow anyone who wasn't a ranger within a certain distance of their headquarters.

Everyone was supportive of them being rangers, the school even allowing all absences due to ranger duty as an excused absence, rather than a cut. That didn't speak for the press, however, who bombarded them with questions to the point where the school had to get extra security to keep them out.

They knew that the hype would die down eventually, and they probably wouldn't have minded it as much if the timing wasn't so horrible, but it was really grating the ranger's feelings, especially when questions were asked about Mari.

Jackie was the only ranger who wasn't extremely affected by the incident, as she didn't know Mari very well, but she still felt a sorrow since she never got to know her, and for the others, who were obviously hurting deeply about it. She refused to answer any questions as well, not wanting to do anything to make it worse than it already was.

Currently, the remaining rangers were getting ready to go outside and deal with the ceremony they had prepared for Mari.

October stood in front of a mirror, straightening out her black dress, and picking up a bouquet of yellow flowers. Her face was stoic as she looked herself over, staring at her face for a long moment, as if she had never seen her reflection before this moment.

Looking past her own reflection, she saw Ryder sitting behind her, wearing a black button up, black dress pants, and black loafers, similarly to the other male rangers. His expression was one of such anger and sadness that it seemed to having a numbing affect, to the point that he looked like he was have no emotional response to what happened.

In her own opinion, he looked broken. She knew how Ryder felt, given that Mari was not the first person they had ever lost. October felt such a similar pain to the one she had felt when their parents died, and, given that Ryder was a bit more explosive with his emotions, she could only imagine how difficult it was for him.

The exact feelings he was dealing with, however, were beyond her, as he refused to talk about it with her. Having known her brother for her whole life, she knew how he processed his emotions, and most of it was done behind the scenes. Ryder was one to hide his feelings as deeply as possible, allowing them to fester, though he wouldn't talk about it until he was about ready to rip someone's head off for looking at him wrong.

While October didn't approve of this method, and tried desperately to get him to talk, she could tell that he was extremely depressed and had completely numbed his emotions out to deal with it, which meant he definitely wasn't coming out of it anytime soon. She was afraid that she would lose her brother as the way he was, considering how much he had changed when their parents died, and wasn't sure of how to help him.

She then looked to Aiden, who was leaning against a nearby wall and looking up at the ceiling. He was obviously trying to stay strong for the others, possibly because of his position as the leader of the team, or perhaps because he wasn't comfortable with letting loose on his feelings, worried how others may react.

It was also a possibility that he was trying to stay strong for her. He knew how much what happened had affected her out of all of them, and October figured that he may be trying to do that since he wanted to comfort her.

Actually, his attitude about staying strong was worrying her more than anything, since he wasn't getting out the emotions he needed to. She wanted to go over to him and assure him it would be alright and that he didn't have to act like that. She liked it better when he was just honest and open about how he was feeling, since she knew it would make him feel better.

Him feeling better would definitely comfort her. October knew, though, that she couldn't rush his grieving and would accept however long it took. She tried to talk to him about it, but it was a rather short and uneventful conversation that didn't really make any progress on feelings.

October then shifted her eyes over to Luca, who was adjusting the tie he wore around his neck. His expression, unlike the other two male rangers, was not concealed and it was very evident to anyone who saw him that he was deeply rattled by what happened.

Though she never actually confirmed if this was true, she had always seen a certain closeness between Mari and Luca that no one else had. October wasn't really sure what it was that was going on between them, but she knew something was there.

Even with her knowledge of this, she never gave it much thought until now. Whatever it was between them, she knew that it was what was fueling his emotions now, even more so than it would be without it.

The pink ranger looked away from him and looked to Jackie, though she didn't have much thought in relation to her. October hardly knew Jackie, and Jackie hardly knew Mari when she passed.

She knew that Jackie must be feeling upset, or at least a certain weight on her, with all of the grief going around, and while October would never want someone to have to go through what they were going through, she wished Jackie could at least relate to the situation.

At the same time, she was kind of glad she couldn't, because it's a horrible feeling to go through loss, and October could never wish that on anyone.

Liela was nowhere to be seen, having to deal with issues relating to Mari's death, the press, the Gods, and Eliza. The intern was indirectly responsible for Mari's death in all of the ranger's eyes, no matter what had happened.

Although Eliza did try to stop her, it was the conversation they had that caused Mari to run to her death, and that much was clear to them.

October took in a deep breath and turned to the others, gesturing to the door. "Shall we?" She asked in a flat tone of voice. She tried to be strong, not only for others, but for herself.

In doing so, it seemed to her that her earlier judgement of Aiden may have been hypocritical, but, even so, she did have to admit that her coping was different from his. She wanted, so desperately, so talk about it to someone - anyone - but she couldn't, due to the fact that she could be hurting someone else's coping.

She also thought about almost every moment since it happened, having it constantly abusing her mind. October was guilty about what happened, and there was nothing she could do to change that.

Aiden let go of a breath he didn't know he was holding and nodded, his head down. "Yeah, let's go."

The group of five exited the command center, walking outside, only to be bombarded with camera flashes from afar. They shielded their eyes, trying to ignore the press overlapping each other with questions as they walked down to the beach, where a stone slab sat in the sand, representing a grave stone that Mari would never get to have, given that there was no body and no real grave.

On the stone was a beautiful painting of Mari with a light shining over her, and various candles, flowers, and other trinkets were at it's base, put there by civilians to pay their respects.

All five rangers stood around the stone, October pulling four roses out of the bouquet and handing them off to the others to put down in remembrance. "I figure we should say a few words." October said, looking to them as all five ignored the press, who were still behind them, but thankfully remained at a respectful distance. "Jackie, you didn't really know her, so you don't have to if you don't want to."

Jackie shook her head. "I may not have known Mari very well, but I do know that she was a great and smart person, from what I have gathered. I am deeply disappointed that I will never get the chance to find out who she was. She was loved by many, and she will be deeply missed." The white ranger put her yellow rose against the stone, allowing one of the others to speak up.

"That was very nice," Luca cleared his throat. "Mari was one of the first people I had ever met when I moved to this country. I literally bumped into her on her birthday, and I didn't know this at the time, but that was the day she was kicked out of her home by her parents. Afterwards, she left to clear her head, and the five of us all stopped a robber with powers we didn't even know that we had."

He took a deep breath, holding back tears. "Unfortunately for me, I didn't really know who she was until this year. I'll regret that for a long while, I believe. I wish I could've known her sooner, since she was an amazing person who cared so much about others. Once, she was just trying to help me, and I snapped at her. Mari forgave me instantly, even though I hurt her feelings. I hope she's at peace now, but I'll always miss her and wish she was with us." Luca kneeled down to put his rose down, taking a moment to look at the painting of Mari, before standing back up.

Aiden nodded. "Well, I don't really know what to say. Mari is the first person I've ever lost, and it's been hard. I'm trying to stay strong and positive about the whole thing, but I can't see any positives. She's gone, and I miss her. We had a talk once about how she didn't feel confident, but I have no idea how she could've possibly felt that way. She was one of the best of us, and I don't think anyone will forget that." He laid his rose next to Luca and Jackie's, then moving to stand with them.

October looked to Ryder, who was staring at the ocean with his jaw clenched. "Ryder, do you wanna say a few words?"

Ryder, who hadn't spoken the whole time, stared at her, before speaking up, "Mari didn't deserve this. She was a good person who should've lived a long life. Everybody who doesn't deserve it, gets shit on. October's and my parents? They could've lived, but they were killed by monsters. That was the worst time of my life, and this comes just as close." He let his rose fall out of his hand, landing next to the others. "I wish she could be here. It's hard to believe that this even happened. I'll never forget her."

He fell silent, ignoring the silence that followed his statement.

"Thank you, Ryder," October put a hand on his shoulder, but it was shrugged off. "You're right, she didn't deserve this. No one ever does."

The green ranger looked down. "Can you just.. say what you need to say?"

She nodded, sighing. "Like Ryder said, Mari is not the only person we've lost. Our parents died during an attack as well, in a similar death. Mari died to save, not only me, but many other people who were trapped as well. Our parents died to protect us, running out of our apartment to make sure they didn't attack us. The last words my father ever spoke to me were, 'It'll all work out. I promise.' Similarly, the last words Mari ever said were, 'It'll be okay.'"

October let a tear fall down her face. "After what happened to our parents, I didn't believe that anything would work out, but my father was right. He promised me, and, even in death, he fulfilled his promise, leaving behind everything needed to survive, and leaving me and my brother safe. We made it, and I know that the five of us can get through this too. Mari would want it." She put her rose down. "She died to save us - me. I'm not gonna let her down."

"Damn right," Aiden rubbed her back. "You'd never do that. She'd be proud of you, and so would your parents."

The team stood in silence for a while, before moving back towards the command center, a piece of them missing as they did so.

 **\- Cue Opening 2 -**

 ***1 month later***

It was now late October in Sol Valley, and, as the rangers thought, the press had backed off slowly and hardly ever bombarded them like they had before. While there was still the occasional paparazzi, it was much better than before.

Aiden sat at the bleachers during lunch, waiting for October to join him. They weren't sitting at their usual table because the others were busy, and it seemed nice to have a change of scenery when it was just the two of them.

He smoothed a hand over his shirt as he waited. Aiden was wearing a red and white flannel top, with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, tucked into tan pants with a dark brown belt, and brown lace-up boots.

As he looked around, taking in a cool fall air, he heard footsteps on the bleachers, and turned to see October walking towards him. She was wearing a pink, silk tank top under an unzipped black hoodie, black leggings, and black and white converse. Her hair, having been dyed blonde a while back, was once again back to it's normal dark brown hue.

He smiled up at her and kissed her before she sat down next to him. She gave him a smile back as she looked around. "I know this isn't the most romantic place to be having lunch, but this weather and everything is so beautiful," October commented.

"I know, that's what I was thinking," Aiden nodded, looking at the empty football field. "I can't believe football season is over."

October took in a breath, "Yeah, it feels like the season just started yesterday."

Aiden rolled his eyes. "Don't even try to play me like that. You don't like football, you just like cheer." He nudged her playfully.

"And?" She chuckled. "Does that mean that I can't support you? And Ryder, for that matter?"

At the mention of the younger Adams sibling, the two sobered from their laughing. "So, how is he?"

She sighed. "I don't know. He won't talk to me about it. I don't blame him, though. We're all still having a rough time coping with this - I mean, Mari was one of our best friends. There's nothing wrong with us taking some time to grieve and get back to our normal life."

The red ranger shrugged. "Okay, but it's been worse for him than the rest of us. I'm not even close to feeling back to normal, but Ryder looks like he's having a really rough time."

"Of course he is," October crossed her arms, feeling suddenly defensive. "In the last two years, he's lost both of his parents, and now one of his best friends. Besides that, there's way more to it than you know."

Aiden held his hands up in surrender. "Hey, there's no need to get angry. I wasn't trying to insult him, or you." He looked at her apprehensively. "Do you want to tell me more about it?"

"Well, he might not feel comfortable with me divulging into his personal life with others." October responded calmly. "You understand, right?"

"Definitely," Aiden nodded. "If you ever did need to talk, though, I'm here; you know that?"

October gave him a small smile. "Yeah, I know," She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.

"So, while we're on the subject, how are you doing?" Aiden asked, making October raise her eyebrow. "I know you're the type to try and make sure everyone else is okay before yourself, but I really want to know how you are, honestly."

She ran a hand through her long hair. "It's hard. I can't help but feel responsible. She died saving me, when I should've been the one to do something to get out of there. Mari didn't have to do that - I would've taken her place in a heartbeat."

Aiden frowned, "Hey, don't say stuff like that. Mari saved you because she wanted you to live, not have you wishing you were the one instead of her."

October bit her lip. "I just don't understand why she thought my life was so much more important than hers. She deserved to live just as much as she thought that I do. I really don't get it."

"Well, keep in mind that Mari might have thought that you had more to lose than she did," Aiden pointed out. "You have Ryder, me, an apartment, etc. that need you around, and that could be why she did what she did."

The pink ranger looked down. "Yeah, I couldn't imagine not being here for Ryder." She shook her head, moving to change the subject. "So, how are you doing with this?"

"I miss her," Aiden admitted. "I'm feeling regretful that I didn't spend enough time with her, like Luca said, pretty much. It's kinda weird because you, me, Ryder, and Mari all grew up together but we didn't hardly know each other until this year. I guess that's one thing that I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around."

"You're right." October said, "I hung out around her, but I didn't know the real her until the beginning of this year. Before then, I always thought we probably wouldn't get along, but she turned out to be one of my closest friends." She sighed. "It's hard to go through the days lately and not feel like I'm missing something, you know?"

He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close to him. "Yeah, I feel that." Aiden said, rubbing her arm comfortingly.

\- PRGG -

Liela sat in the command center living room nervously, waiting for the rangers to show up. It had been a little over a month since Mari's death, and she knew it was time to talk about the team and such, but she didn't know how they would react to this information.

Since the incident, four out of the five rangers, with Jackie being the fifth, became very distrustful of Eliza and even occasionally outright blamed her for, though unintentionally and indirectly, causing Mari to run into a fight that she knew she wouldn't make it out of.

This led the rangers to sometimes refuse to come to the command center because they knew the intern was there.

Eliza, however, now hadn't been seen for days. Liela had no idea where she was, but discovered her phone in her room, leaving her with no way to contact anyone and vise-versa.

The rangers were unaware of this so far, and, because the mentor had no idea how to tell them, she decided to hold off until she could figure it out for herself.

Liela was startled out of her thoughts when the door opened, letting Luca and Jackie in, being the first of the rangers to arrive, which was becoming a recurring theme around this time. The two were the most trusting rangers after what happened, and were always the ones who showed up and were polite to Eliza when asked, even if the other three were not.

"Hey, Liela," Luca greeted as he and Jackie sat down on the couch. Luca was wearing a blue, long sleeved T-shirt, black jeans, and black tennis shoes. "Waiting on Aiden, October, and Ryder?"

She nodded. "Yep," Liela looked him over. "How have you been?"

"Upset." He responded honestly. "It's been really difficult to handle, but I'm trying to be as positive as possible. Mari wouldn't have wanted us to dwell and blame ourselves for what happened."

"That's a really good thing to keep in mind. I'm sure she'd be proud of you," Liela told him with a sympathetic smile.

Truth be told, Liela had also struggled greatly with Mari's death. None of her own rangers had ever passed, and this felt like such a failure to keep them safe on her part, even though she was completely aware that there was nothing she could've done.

She looked up when the door sounded again, seeing Aiden and October walk in, holding hands as they did so. The two sat down on the couch as well, Aiden sitting up on the arm of the couch to give October room to sit. "Hey," He greeted, looking at the other three. "What's going on?"

"We should wait for Ryder to arrive," Liela responded. "This is a group conversation." She turned to look at October. "Do you know where he is?"

October shrugged. "I've been trying to keep up but I really don't know. He's just been all over the place lately. Sorry,"

Liela shook her head. "Nothing to apologize for. We have time."

Aiden leaned back where he sat. "So, do you want to at least clue us in on what's going on before he gets here? It might take awhile."

"Well, I wanted to discuss..." She trailed off as the door opened and closed loudly, signaling the group to Ryder's arrival. The green ranger was wearing his usual black leather jacket on top of a gray hoodie, an army green t-shirt underneath, black jeans, and black boots. He was also carrying his motorcycle helmet in hand.

Ryder approached the group, an uninterested look on his face. "Why are we here?"

"I'm glad you're here, Ryder." Liela smiled up at him as he sat down, not returning the smile. "We have all been putting this off, but we really need to talk."

"About?" Ryder crossed his arms.

Liela sighed. "A new yellow ranger." She announced, causing all of the rangers to react - Aiden glared at her, October's face fell, Ryder shook his head in anger, Luca looked down, and Jackie sat awkwardly. "I know you don't want to talk about it, but it's very important that we find one. It could very well determine the fate of the world. Without a yellow ranger.. we may not win against Saturn."

"No way in hell." Ryder growled out, standing up. "We're not replacing Mari."

"I would never want to do that, but you have to understand that the world could be destroyed without someone in her place." Liela said gently. "We don't have a choice."

"Yes, we do. You just don't want to admit it!" Ryder exclaimed. "At this point, the only reason I even want to kill that son of a bitch is because of what he did to Mari. Besides that, hell fire could raise up on earth and I wouldn't give a flying fuck."

October stared at him, "Ryder." She said, almost in a scolding tone. "Don't say things like that."

He rolled his eyes. "Don't even give me a lecture, October. What's the point anymore? All good people get shit on! It's just how it is!" Ryder shook his head. "Every good person I've ever met has either died or will probably wish they were dead."

"What about me?" October crossed her arms, standing up to face him. "Am I dead? Do I wish I was dead? Do you wish I was dead?"

Ryder glared daggers at her. "Never say anything like that to me. If you died, I would have nothing, and I mean absolutely _nothing_ , to live for. The only reason I'm still around is because I know you feel the same, and I could never do that to you."

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" October asked, a tear running down her face. "You wanna die, Ryder? The only reason you're still alive is because I'm alive? Why would you say something like that?"

"Just leave me alone," Ryder looked down, not being able to meet her eyes, with the emotion he knew was shining in them. "I'm fine." He looked down at his free hand, noticing it shaking, and it seemed October did too.

"Why are your hands shaking like that, Ryder?" October frowned, know that wasn't normal.

Ryder pulled his hand out of her line of vision, "Why do you care? I'm fine. Maybe it's just doing that because you're stressing me out."

"Oh yeah, because that's what usually happens when you get upset," She said sarcastically, reaching out for his hand. Before she could do so, the alarm went off, causing them to jump slightly and look to Liela.

Liela looked on her tablet as Ryder put his helmet down with a sigh. "It's in town square. You're facing against a monster known as Arachne."

Aiden nodded. "We're on it. Let's go." He and the other rangers ran out of the command center, letting Liela sit down with a sigh.

\- PRGG -

Bella sat in her living room at her house, flipping through the TV channels aimlessly, having nothing else to really do. After a while, she thought she had found a show she would like and stopped on it, only to have the channel immediately turn to the news with an emergency announcement.

"Seriously?" She sighed. "It's not like there was an earthquake or anything." Bella muttered to herself, but continued to watch it since there was nothing else to do.

The newscaster stared straight at the camera. _"This just in, there's an attack in progress in the town square of Sol Valley. Please evacuate the area and remain indoors where ever you are. The power rangers are on their way to the battle. This emergency broadcast system will return you to your regularly scheduled programming as soon as the attack is over. Be safe."_

Then, the screen went to a bright blue one with a large message on it that said **EMERGENCY** in big, bold letters and explained the situation. Below that, there was live footage of the attack.

Bella sat forward and looked at the half of the screen that had the live footage, and watched the rangers run forward to attack against the large, spider-like monster. The monster, called Arachne by the reports, seemed to be beating them quickly, knocking them all down and entangling some of them in webs to prevent them from moving.

The rangers were managing to escape from the entanglements, but it was obviously taking some energy out of them every time it happened.

She watched worriedly, so engrossed in the emergency broadcast that she didn't even notice Ceres appearing next to her. Ceres looked at her, noting her interest in the situation.

Ceres cleared her throat, startling Bella out of her stupor. "You seem worried," She commented.

"Well, the rangers are getting pummeled out there," Bella responded, as if it was obvious. "They haven't been doing as well without Mari."

The Goddess nodded in agreement. "So, you believe they need a yellow ranger?"

Bella looked back at her. "Yeah, of course I do. They don't have a complete team right now, and it's hard to do the same job when you don't have everyone there to participate."

Ceres observed Bella. "Maybe someone should go out there and participate, then."

"Someone should," She nodded. "They may not like it, and I understand why they wouldn't, but they need help if they're gonna save the world."

"Maybe that someone should be you." Ceres responded, making Bella look down for a moment, before she stared back at her mother. "I think it should." She pulled a locket out of her dress - Mari's locket, and her power coin.

Bella stared in shock. "Where did you get that?"

"I discovered it in the field next to the opening of Tartarus. It must have come off of her body, given that a power of this caliber would never make it in there with the deceitful Saturn." Ceres told her. "I do wonder how it must have gotten there, however. I figured she would've been given a proper burial."

She frowned. "A proper burial? You and the other Gods took her body, didn't you?"

Ceres shook her head. "We do not take the bodies of deceased demigods - only the souls. Her soul, however, never made it to Mount Olympus."

"What?" Bella stood up, stunned by this information. "Do the rangers know?"

The Goddess shrugged. "I do not believe so."

Bella made a face. "Well, where the hell did her body go?"

Ceres sighed. "I am unaware. I cannot see her soul anywhere. It is possible that Saturn captured her soul and body to prevent the rangers from gaining access to it."

"That's horrible." Bella breathed out, running a hand through her hair.

"Yes, but there are more pressing matters at hand." Ceres urged her. "You even said that the rangers need assistance." She held out the locket to Bella. "Will you take this?"

"I..." Bella touched the locket lightly, and it shined yellow for a moment when she initially did so, a rush of power going through her veins. She looked at the power coin, before picking up her purse and pulling out her own coin, that look identical it the one on the locket. "That's what this is for, isn't it?"

Ceres nodded. "Yes. I gave that to you for when the time is right." She took Bella's hand and put the locket in it, holding it in her hand. "I trust you to make the right decision, my daughter."

Bella looked up, just in time to see Ceres disappear in front of her eyes, leaving the locket in her hand. She stared at it for a moment, before putting it around her neck, feeling a warm sensation coming from it for a moment. She then reached down and grabbed her purse, shoving her power coin in one of the pockets and exiting her house.

Running down the street in her heeled booties was a bit difficult, but Bella managed to get up to a road block right next to the fight. Just beyond the police car and officer, she could see the fight occurring.

Jackie fought hard to defend against an attack from Arachne, but she was struck down with enough force to demorph, being the first ranger of the battle to do so.

Bella felt a surge of power go through her once more, as she tried to walk through the small crowd of people and past the office, but she was promptly stopped. "This is a restricted and highly dangerous area." The officer told her. "Where do you think you're going?"

She stared at the officer, pulling her arm out of his grasp. "I'm the yellow ranger." Bella told him confidently. "The new one." Before he could respond, Bella walked forward powerfully, coming to a stop just before the monster.

"Stop right there!" She yelled, seeing Arachne move towards the downed red ranger, and attracted the attention of everyone.

October was on the ground, moving to get closer to Ryder, when she looked over. "Bella?"

"What are you doing here?" Luca called to her. "You'll get killed!"

"I won't." Bella smirked, shaking her head. She pulled the power coin out of her purse and threw her purse to the side. "Trust me." The small coin glowed yellow in the sun, and she shoved it quickly into the locket around her neck.

The rangers and Arachne watched in shock as yellow vines surrounded Bella's body, forming a suit. "Guardians, Rise Up!" She called out. "Yellow Guardian!"

Bella stood in front of them, flexing her fingers as she got used to her new suit. It looked exactly like Mari's, down to every last detail. The other rangers stared at their new yellow in surprise, as did Arachne.

Arachne soon scoffed, however. "So what? You think that you can bring out a new ranger and all of a sudden, you'll win?" She shook her head. "Never."

"We'll see about that." Bella pulled out her sword.

The monster nodded. "Yeah, I guess we will." She immediately shot a web at Bella, who put her arms up in front of her. Instead of the web hitting her, a large wall of vines grew out of the ground and caught the web before it could do so.

Bella moved out from behind the vines, shooting at the monster with her blaster, knocking Arachne back slightly.

She then put her blaster and sword back in their holsters and put her palms facing towards the ground. Suddenly, more large vines erupted from the concrete and pillared towards Arachne. The vines latched onto the monster and held her up in the air, squeezing her tightly.

"That was easy." Bella commented, smirking up at Arachne. "You still think you can win?"

Arachne glared down at her. "You'll pay for this," She rasped out.

The other rangers were managing to get up at this point, Luca immediately going over to pick up Jackie, who was only half-conscious from the hit she had taken. Aiden, October, and Ryder, however, joined Bella.

"I figure that my blaster and vines aren't strong enough to destroy her," Bella commented. "So, what do you want to do with her?"

"Well..." October trailed off, staring at her. She had no idea how Bella got her hands on the yellow morpher, and was even more shocked to see her in action. "We can all attack her at once."

Luca held Jackie in his arms. "She's not gonna be able to," He said, nodding to Jackie.

"Yeah," Aiden nodded, taking in a deep breath. "The thre.. four of us can do it."

Bella looked at the other three. "Alright, let's do this."

They all took out their swords, Bella lowering Arachne to the ground so they could strike. Ryder and October ran through first, using their respective abilities to injure Arachne, then Aiden did the same thing. Bella, who had watched them, copied what they did, using her power to grow a thorny branch up her sword, using it to further damage the monster.

The four stood behind Arachne, watching as she exploded. Bella stared in shock, never having been this close to a battle before, until she noticed the other rangers staring at her instead of the monster. "What?"

"Where did you get that morpher?" Aiden demanded to know. "Mari's body was gone, and so was her morpher. Did Liela give it you?"

Bella frowned. "I don't know who Liela is. My mother gave this to me."

Ryder crossed his arms, glaring at her. "And who in the fucking world is your mother?"

She glared back. "Ceres, the Goddess of agriculture. What the hell is your problem?"

Luca walked over to the others, overhearing their conversation. "Hey, guys, maybe we can take this back to the Command Center." He looked down at Jackie. "She needs medical attention."

"I agree." October butt in. "Liela can fill us in on what she knows."

Aiden and Ryder didn't look too happy about it, and neither did Luca for that matter, but the six rangers made their way past the crowd and walked towards the command center.

\- PRGG -

The rangers got back, and Jackie was resting in the infirmary, leaving Liela to join the others in the living room. When she did, she felt the tension immediately, so thick in the air that you could cut it with a knife. Aiden and Ryder were outright glaring at Bella, while Luca was trying to keep his feelings to himself.

October seemed to be the only one who wasn't angry. A bit upset, yes, but not angry.

"Bella?" Liela asked, seeing the girl tilt her head up at the sound of her name. "I'm Liela, your mentor." She shook Bella's hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"Speak for yourself," Ryder growled out. "We said we didn't want a replacement, and you immediately go and get one."

"I already told you that I didn't get my morpher from her." Bella interjected, obviously not thrown by Ryder's anger. "Ceres gave it to me."

Liela nodded. "She's right. I've never met her before now, so she has to be telling the truth."

Ryder scoffed. "This is so stupid." He stood up, blinking a few times as he did so. "I'll be right back. I'm going to the bathroom." He walked past everyone and went into the bathroom, locking the door behind him.

He looked at himself in the mirror, gripping the counter with white-knuckled hands. His arms were shaking slightly, as were his hands, evident when he pulled one off of the counter and rubbed it down his face.

Reaching deep into his pocket, he pulled out a small plastic container of sorts. The outside of his small container had the name **LEXAPRO** scrawled across it on a white sticker, and when he opened it, there were a few small white pills in the container. He pulled one out and popped it in his mouth, running some water into his cupped hand and drinking the water.

"It's okay," He whispered to himself. "It's fine."

In reality, he knew it wasn't alright, considering he was only supposed to take one of those a day, and that was the second - _or was it the third?_ He thought to himself -that he had taken that day.

He looked back at himself in the mirror, and nodded, closing the small container and shoving it back into his pocket.

When Ryder came out of the bathroom, he walked down the hall and was startled to see a hologram-of-sorts showing a man and two women holding Eliza in front of them, her being in handcuffs.

"Who are these guys?" Ryder asked, raising an eyebrow in disinterest.

Liela cleared her throat. "This is Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva, some of the Gods."

 _"You are correct, Liela."_ One of the Goddess's, Minerva, spoke. _"We request the ranger's presence in the hall of Mount Olympus tomorrow for the trial of Eliza James."_

The mentor stared in shock. "What? Why is there a trial?"

 _"Eliza has broken our word, in speaking to Marissa Williams about her demise before it occurred. She could have caused a catastrophe, and will be punished as such, if she is found guilty."_ Juno, the other Goddess, responded. _"We request the presence of the rangers to determine the ruling. Their words will hold ground on her punishment."_

"Okay," Liela nodded, clearly rattled. "The rangers will be here in the morning for transport."

 _"As expected,"_ Jupiter said, looking down on them. _"Failure to arrive will result in the immediate punishment of death to Eliza. We will see tomorrow about her fate."_

The hologram message disappeared, leaving the rangers stunned, staring at each other in disbelief.

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Guardians of the Galaxy:** The rangers are brought to Mount Olympus to testify for Eliza's fate, and have to decide whether or not she deserves to be free of punishment.

 **Next Chapter Title:** The Trial

 **A lot is going on in this chapter. I know that fight scene wasn't very long or anything, but since I spent a lot on the funeral scene, I didn't want to overwhelm you guys with the amount of words in this chapter (even though it is rather long, I didn't want to make it even longer).**

 **I also know that I focused a lot on Ryder's emotions, as opposed to the others, but that's because this is going to be a big character arc for him, and I need time to set everything up, especially since he's one of the more complex character in this story. Yes, he is abusing his prescription, and if you're wondering what it is he's taking, they're anti-depressants. I'll get more into that later in his upcoming character focus chapter.**

 **The other characters will get their time to shine with their feelings and everything in the next chapter when they have to decide how they feel about letting Eliza off the hook. They'll have time to talk about it, and you'll also see how they're feeling behind their words, since some may say differently than they feel.**

 **Here are the upcoming five chapters!**

 **Ep 16: Love Animals -** Luca focused chapter.

 **Ep 17: Collision Part I -** Ryder focused chapter.

 **Ep 18: Collision Part II -** Ryder focused chapter - possibly have a part III.

 **Ep 19: No Place Like Home -** Aiden focused chapter.

 **Ep 20: Goddess Of War -** October focused chapter.

 **I hope you guys liked this chapter, and I'll be back with the next one soon!**

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


	15. Ep 15: The Trial

**Hey guys, I'm back! There were some pretty bad storms in the area for a while so the power was out, but, thankfully, it's back on. After this chapter, I'll be getting back to my usual schedule and will be updating Emergency Responders next.**

 **I should mention that there will be flashbacks in this chapter, but it's not really a clip show - I'm showing all of the scene that either led up to Mari's death, or all of the evidence for the rangers feelings. This chapter's also gonna be a bit different than anything I've done before, so I hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

 **Last time on Power Rangers: Guardians of the Galaxy**

When Ryder came out of the bathroom, he walked down the hall and was startled to see a hologram-of-sorts showing a man and two women holding Eliza in front of them, her being in handcuffs.

"Who are these guys?" Ryder asked, raising an eyebrow in disinterest.

Liela cleared her throat. "This is Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva, some of the Gods."

 _"You are correct, Liela."_ One of the Goddess's, Minerva, spoke. _"We request the ranger's presence in the hall of Mount Olympus tomorrow for the trial of Eliza James."_

The mentor stared in shock. "What? Why is there a trial?"

 _"Eliza has broken our word, in speaking to Marissa Williams about her demise before it occurred. She could have caused a catastrophe, and will be punished as such, if she is found guilty."_ Juno, the other Goddess, responded. _"We request the presence of the rangers to determine the ruling. Their words will hold ground on her punishment."_

"Okay," Liela nodded, clearly rattled. "The rangers will be here in the morning for transport."

 _"As expected,"_ Jupiter said, looking down on them. _"Failure to arrive will result in the immediate punishment of death to Eliza. We will see tomorrow about her fate."_

The hologram message disappeared, leaving the rangers stunned, staring at each other in disbelief.

 **Now**

Liela stood atop the roof of the command center, waiting for the rangers arrival. Standing beside her was Mercury, who was going to be their transport for the day, with a strange looking device in his hand.

She looked sheepishly at him, "They'll be here. They just tend to run a little late these days."

"I don't mind," Mercury shrugged, looking at her. "I'm okay being here with you."

"Oh." Liela raised an eyebrow, blushing slightly. "Really?"

Mercury smirked. "Yeah, I feel like we've definitely gotten to know each other over the last year or so. You're nice to be around - and definitely a good role model for your rangers."

"Well, I..." She trailed off as the door opened, letting Luca and Jackie up to the floor. "Hey, guys." Liela said, pursing her lips at their timing.

Luca nodded in greeting. "Hey," He looked at Mercury. "You always seem to be the God that shows up for everything."

He chuckled. "I'm the messenger. Besides, I don't mind the company." Liela looked to the side as he said this.

"Yeah, that seems to be the thing with you Gods." Luca made a face.

Mercury raised his eyebrows at his remark, "I don't think _you_ should be making comments about my romantic life. Be careful about that."

"What?" Luca looked at him sharply, but Mercury just shrugged and turned back to Liela, while Jackie nudged him. "Yeah?"

"He is the messenger God, which means that it is his responsibility to report information to the Gods," Jackie responded.

"Okay, but what's that supposed to mean?" Luca frowned.

Jackie sighed, as if she was irritated that he didn't know what she meant. "If the Gods are holding us to a trial, that means they not only want our input, but also that they want us to be held to our word and put Eliza away for them with our testimony. They have been watching us to gain evidence to our responses,"

"Wait, that means they can show things we don't say." Luca gaped. "That's impossible. I..." He trailed off when the door opened again, letting Aiden, October, Ryder, and Bella up.

As they flooded in, Aiden and Ryder looking much less than pleased, Mercury came to stand before them. "Are you guys ready?"

"I guess we have to be," Aiden said bitterly.

Mercury nodded. "Alright," He started pressing things on his strange device, making the rangers frown at him until a strange sensation took over their bodies and they disappeared from the roof.

 **\- Cue Opening 2 -**

The rangers landed in a hall of sorts and had to catch themselves before they fell, looking around as they steadied. It was a beautiful marble court, with three seats in front of them. They walked forward a bit, seeing Mercury stand to the side of the seats, but stopped suddenly when three beings, Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva, walked out from behind the seats, before moving to sit in them.

Eliza walked out from behind the seats as well, still with her handcuffs on, moving to stand next to Mercury while the rangers stood in front of them all.

"Wow," October breathed out in awe. "This place is beautiful."

Aiden set his eyes on the Gods in front of them, particularly on Jupiter. "You're my father," He spoke, staring at him. "Jupiter."

Jupiter nodded once, "Yes, I am your father." He then picked up a staff from the ground next to his chair and stood, smacking the end of it against the ground. "Let the trial begin." He announced, sitting back down.

"Jacklyn Oberstar, please come forward." Juno spoke, making Jackie walk forward to stand alone in front of the three Gods.

Minerva looked down on her daughter, though Jackie didn't seem phased by it. "How do you plea?"

"Not guilty," Jackie said firmly.

"Jacklyn, how long have you known Eliza?" Minerva responded, looking disappointed by her answer.

Jackie thought for a moment, "Since we were children."

"How long have you known the deceased?"

"Only for a short while," Jackie said. "But I believe she was noble an..."

"I did not ask for your opinion." Minerva interjected sharply. "Do you believe her death was just?"

Jackie frowned, before talking lowly, "Yes."

The other rangers stared in shock, and Minerva spoke with a smirk directed at them. "What did you say?"

"Yes." Jackie repeated louder. "She died to save her best friend. She was aware of the risks, and did it anyway. I do not condone her death, but I do believe that it was her own choice."

Minerva made a face, "You do not believe she should have died, although you respect her decision? Is that what it is?"

"Correct. She should have had a chance." Jackie said. "She was a great ranger."

"She could have challenged the fate of the world with her survival," Minerva kept a straight face. "You believe it would be alright to do so?"

Jackie sighed. "There could have been another way."

"I see," Minerva nodded, before turning to Mercury. "Shall we hold you to your word?"

Mercury walked forward and put a small, metal device on the ground on the other side of Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva, before walking back to stand with Eliza. Minerva gestured at the device, and a projection came up.

 _\- Flashback -_

 _While other rangers interacted, Jackie walked over to Eliza, who had paled considerably at Mari's declaration of saving October. "She's gonna do it," Eliza swallowed hard. "Isn't she?"_

 _Jackie sighed, nodding. "It has always been her destiny."_

 _Eliza scowled. "And I'm supposed to just stand by and let this happen?"_

 _"That's your job, Eliza." Jackie informed her. "I do not want Mari to suffer this fate either, but it is what's going to happen. We do not have a choice in the matter."_

 _The intern shook her head. "We always have a choice."_

 _"Allowing her to avoid this fate could affect the whole world." Jackie responded. "As much as I appreciate what Mari has done, we cannot risk the fate of the world for her to continue on her path as a ranger."_

 _"So, I can't do anything about it?" Eliza looked at her, a broken expression lining her features._

 _"You know the Gods will punish you if you do different," Jackie said. "You will have to stand trial for your sins - most likely to be sentenced to death. You have lived among the gods just as I have, and you are aware of their brutality in these circumstances."_

 _Eliza took in a deep breath. "Yes, I am."_

 _"Then, you should also be aware that they will punish Mari for your sins," Jackie added on. "They will not just allow this to go on, at the risk of humanity." Jackie looked at the other rangers. "Are you going to tell them?"_

 _She looked at the white ranger as if she was crazy. "What? I can't!" She exclaimed in a hushed tone. "They'll never trust me again; they'd condemn me faster than the Gods ever could."_

 _Jackie observed her. "No, they would try to stop Mari and thank you for letting them know. You do not want them to do so. You are afraid."_

 _Eliza ran a hand through her hair, looking at the ground guiltily. "I can't face the Gods, Jackie. I'm so scared." She admitted. "Please don't tell them. I'll figure something out, just please don't tell them."_

 _"I will not tell them," Jackie told her. "It's not my place. I know you will do the right thing."_

 _"I hope so," Eliza sighed. "I really do."_

 _\- End of Flashback -_

Jackie stared in shock at the clip of her, and could practically feel the glaring looks from the rangers behind her. "I have changed my opinions on the subject,"

"Obviously," Minerva rolled her eyes. "You were aware of everything before it happened. What do you have to say?"

"Everyone who has been to Mount Olympus is aware of the story of the rangers," Jackie responded. "I only told Eliza that because I was concerned for my friend. I did not want her to stand trial for this, as I was aware of your manipulation of our responses. I also did not want Mari to stand trial just because she survived, which I completely believe she deserved to do after the way she willingly sacrificed herself."

Jupiter's staff hit the ground, and Juno spoke once more, "Dismissed." Jackie stared at her, before shaking her head and returning to the others. "Aiden Miller, come forward, you bastard."

Aiden walked forward, frowning at her. "Bastard?"

"You, like many others, are my husband's mistake," Juno spat. "You always will be."

"Juno," Jupiter held his hand up, his tone scolding. "You have made your feelings clear - quiet yourself."

She glared at him, but didn't speak past that. Minerva cleared her throat, and spoke up. "Aiden, how do you plea?"

"Guilty," Aiden crossed his arms, causing Eliza to stare in shock and hurt.

Minerva raised an eyebrow. "Interesting. What was your relationship to the victim?"

Aiden sighed, "She was a great friend, and a teammate. I've known her for a long time."

"How did you feel when Marissa passed on?" Minerva questioned.

"Upset," Aiden shrugged, looking for the right words. "I was confused and sad. I didn't think it was real, but it was. Eliza knew about it, and didn't tell us. I thought she was our friend, but I don't think so anymore."

"Do you feel that Eliza is to blame for Marissa's death?"

Aiden thought about his response for a moment. Eliza did try to warn Mari, and she willingly sacrificed herself even though she knew of her fate. At the same time, it's possible that Mari may not have done what she did if Eliza didn't tell her. "I believe I have said so in the past. If Eliza didn't tell her, it's possible Mari wouldn't have run into that battle the way she did."

Minerva nodded. "Yes, it's entirely plausible. Do you believe that Eliza should be punished due to her actions?"

"You think she betrayed you," Aiden pointed out. "Because she went against orders. I think she betrayed us by not trying to find another way, with as long as I assume she's known about this. Yes, I believe she should be punished."

The Goddess pondered on that, "You realize that the punishment of betraying the Gods is a high one, correct?"

"It's death, right?" Aiden asked, his expression stoic.

"Correct." Minerva responded.

"I..." He trailed off. "As much as I'd like to say that I think she deserves that, I don't know if I can. I don't think that I could ever sentence a person to death, especially not one that I know."

Minerva stared at him for moment, before speaking again, "And if you had the choice between Marissa or Eliza?"

"I'd pick Mari, no question." Aiden told her.

"But, you do not believe that Eliza deserves to suffer the same fate, especially after she may as well have sent her to her death?" Minerva crossed her arms.

Aiden pursed his lips. "Trust me - I'd love to say yes, but I can't be responsible for someone's death."

"Like Eliza is for Marissa's."

The red ranger swallowed hard against the lump in his throat. "Yes."

Jupiter's staff hit the ground, letting Juno speak. "Dismissed, you stain."

"Juno." Jupiter warned as Aiden walked back to stand with the others, October giving him a look.

Juno rolled her eyes. "Isabella Brown, come forward."

Bella frowned in confusion and walked forward slowly, an uncomfortable look on her face. "I wasn't..."

Minerva grabbed Jupiter's staff and slammed it on the ground. "Silence!" Bella quickly stopped in her tracks. "Isabella, how do you plea?"

"I don't know the situation - I just became a ranger yesterday." Bella said as if it was obvious, raising an eyebrow at the Gods.

The Goddess glared. "Eliza is on trial for breaking her words against the Gods, as she reported that she would not warn Marissa before her death. How do you plea?"

"I guess she's guilty then." Bella responded.

"What is your relationship to the deceased?" Minerva asked.

Bella sighed. "I've known her since we were little, and I've always been told that I was a bitch to her."

"Do you agree?"

"Well, sort of. Most of it happened while we were kids, so that's just me being a bratty kid, but for stuff that happened when we were older.. yeah, I guess you could say I was." Bella nodded.

"How do you feel now that she is no longer with us?" Minerva tilted her head to the side as she wait for an answer.

Bella shrugged. "Remorse, I guess. She may not have been my favorite person, but she didn't deserve to die, or the way I treated her sometimes before she died."

Minerva raised an eyebrow as she asked the next question. "And how do you feel about taking over her powers?"

"It's something." Bella said, looking down. "I've only fought once, but I liked it. I wish I didn't have to be in this position, but it is what it is."

"And what position is that?" Minerva inquired.

She made a face, "As the new yellow ranger. The others hate me, people are going to compare me to Mari, and I don't want that. I wish I could just be my own ranger so that it doesn't happen. The worst thing would be if I was better than she was, because then, I'm gonna look like a jerk when I'm not trying to be - I'm just doing my job."

Minerva smirked slightly. "But, you must have been aware that this would happen."

Bella crossed her arms. "How would I know that?"

"You've known that you were going to be the yellow ranger before anything happened," Minerva pointed out, gesturing to the projection to her side. "Ceres told you, and you confronted Marissa about it."

 _\- Flashback -_

 _She was about to walk up to the lost and found, when she saw Bella standing at the top of the bleachers with her purse in hand, holding it up for her to see._

 _"Loose something?" Bella asked, one hand on her hip as Mari walked up to her with her head tilted down slightly. Mari went to take her purse, but Bella pulled it back. "First, we have to talk. If I give it to you now, you'll never listen to me."_

 _Mari glared at her and snatched her purse back from Bella, putting it over her shoulder. "You're right - I won't."_

 _Bella saw her start to walk down the bleachers and sighed exasperatedly. "I know you're the yellow ranger!" She announced, making Mari stop dead in her tracks._

 _"What?" Mari turned around and looked up at her, walking back up the bleachers to be face to face. "How do you know that?"_

 _"That's more like it," Bella crossed her arms and smirked. "To answer your question, it was Ceres. I suppose you know who that is?"_

 _"A Goddess," Mari responded a bit defensively. "Why would she tell you that?"_

 _Bella shrugged, "Maybe it has something to do with the fact that she's my mother." At Mari's shocked expression, Bella nodded. "I'm a demigod, like you. She didn't tell me to talk to you, only your first name, but I knew I had to." She looked her up and down. "I know you don't like me."_

 _"Because you're conceited and judgmental," Mari mocked her position. "I don't know if you've noticed, but it's not exactly something people fawn over."_

 _"I don't care what you think, to be perfectly honest." Bella scoffed. "Your little opinion from your little mind means nothing to me. I only want to know why you're not gonna be a ranger anymore."_

 _Mari frowned. "I have no idea what you're talking about," She said. "I would never quit being a ranger. Not unless I was dead."_

 _Bella made a face. "Well, then why did my mother tell me that you're not gonna be a ranger?"_

 _"I..." Mari trailed off, shaking her head. "I have no idea."_

 _"Well, figure it out," Bella felt a bit bad by the expression on Mari's face, but turned away. "That's all I had to say. Don't tell anyone about what we talked about," Bella took her own purse and left hastily, before Mari could catch up to her and ask her what she was talking about._

 _\- End of Flashback -_

"So what is that supposed to mean?" Bella said defensively, glaring at the Goddess. "I didn't know she was going to die - I just knew that a goddess, my mother, came up to me and told me I was going to be the yellow ranger. That's why I confronted her about it!"

Minerva nodded. "And you never thought to tell any of the other rangers this after Marissa passed?"

Bella stared at her in shock. "I.. you can't do this! Of course I didn't tell them! Why would I go up to them and tell them that I'm supposed to take over their dead best friend's powers? You're just trying to twist my words around!"

"Dismissed," Juno suddenly said, Jupiter clapping his staff against the ground. "Luca Johnson, come forward." She said, before Bella could even begin to walk back to her spot.

Luca looked up in surprise and moved forward, passing Bella on his way to stand before them.

"How do you plea?"

He rubbed his arm and answered, "Not guilty." Luca could feel the surprised looks from everyone else in the room, but ignored them.

Minerva regarded him with a slight raised eyebrow. "I see. This wouldn't have to do with your relation to Eliza, would it?"

Luca stared back at her, trying not be phased by the Gods in front of him. "She's my half-sister, but I've only known her for a few months - I knew Mari for a year."

"And what is your relation to Marissa?" Minerva said, a mildly amused look on her face.

"Well..." He cleared his throat awkwardly. "We were good friends."

The Goddess hummed in thought, "Is that all?"

"I know you're just going to use anything I say against me," Luca replied. "So I'm just going to come out and say it: we had a connection."

October gaped a him, "A what?"

"Silence!" Jupiter bellowed, slamming his staff down so hard that the ground shook slightly beneath them.

"What kind of connection?" Minerva continued as if she wasn't interrupted.

Luca sighed. "She liked me, and I didn't know about it. Once I found out.. I guess I started thinking about it too." He knew October was glaring at him from behind, but didn't look back.

Minerva nodded. "How did you find out? Did she tell you?"

He shook his head. "We kissed."

"I guess we should show this evidence to the court," Minerva gestured to the projection that started up.

 _\- Flashback -_

 _She walked outside, seeing the blue ranger sitting on the sand, looking out over the water as the sunset in the distance. She sighed and walked over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder in a comfort as she sat down next to him. "Are you okay?"_

 _Luca didn't look at her. "Not really. I mean, it may seem like just a horse, but she's been around since I was a kid and I remember that I could always ride her when I was upset or anything, you know?" He shook his head. "I just didn't think it would happen like this, or this soon. I wish it could've been a better end, I guess."_

 _"There's nothing wrong with that. No one should wish an ill death like that," She wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Are you gonna be okay?"_

 _He looked at her now, almost as if seeing her for the first time. "I think so," Luca and Mari stared at each other for a moment, before they both leaned in for a kiss. It quickly ended, but just left the two with their faces close, staring at each other and hearing the other breathe. Then, the two pulled away, and Mari stood up._

 _She shook her head at him. "We can't do that," She whispered, Luca standing up with her, both looking confused. "We can't. You have a girlfriend. We're not cheaters, Luca."_

 _"What are we gonna do?" Luca asked, tightening his jaw._

 _Mari looked down. "Nothing. We can't do this. You can't do this to Alice, and neither can I. I mean, I'm not exactly her friend, but I'm not like that. You need to stay with her and be there for her."_

 _"Mari, I'm sorry." He said lowly. "I'm so sorry."_

 _She nodded. "Me too." Mari sighed. "Me too."_

 _\- End of Flashback -_

"It seems that your relationship was deeper than just a friendship," Minerva pointed out unnecessarily. "Yet you still consider Eliza innocent. Why is this?"

Luca shrugged. "I'm not sending her to die, like Aiden said."

Minerva tapped her fingers on the arm of her chair. "Is that the only reason you declare her innocent?"

"Well, I also can't say she didn't try." Luca said, glancing to Eliza. "She didn't do the right thing, but she tried."

"Dismissed." Juno's voice called out, the tap of the staff on the ground. "Can we really trust the words of a cheater, anyway?" She said venomously as Luca walked back, though Jupiter held his hand up to stop her comments. Juno sighed, "Rhydian Adams, come forward."

As Ryder stalked forward, October looked at Luca. "You cheated on Alice?" She whispered, her face a painting of betrayal. "And you haven't said anything?"

Luca looked down uncomfortably. "It was over before it started. I swear. You saw Mari and I both agree that it was over."

October shook her head. "Does that even matter? You kissed another girl. If you don't tell her, I will - I can't keep this from my best friend. It's wrong."

"Silence!" Jupiter called out once more as Ryder stood in front of them, a defensive look on his face.

"How do you plea?" Minerva asked, after the room was silent.

"Guilty." Ryder ground out, staring over at Eliza with an emotionless look on his face. "She's guilty. Mari is dead because of her."

Minerva seemed pleased with his answer as she continued, "What is your relationship with Eliza?"

"I thought she liked me." Ryder answered, crossing his arms. "I kinda liked her... Not anymore. She's one of the worst people I've ever met."

The Goddess nodded. "What was your relationship with the deceased?"

Ryder glared. "It's Mari - she deserves to be named." He growled. "She was one of the best. She shouldn't have had to die - if anyone does, it's Eliza. If you killed her because of her betrayal, I wouldn't even blink."

Minerva glanced over at Eliza, who stared at him like he had struck her. "I'm surprised you say so. I know you must be upset, but sentencing her to death.. that's harsh. Any reason for that?"

"If it weren't for her, Mari would still be here." Ryder said. "She deserves to know how Mari felt when that happened."

"Interesting." Minerva tilted her head to the side, observing him. "Anything else?"

He frowned. "I just told you. Why would there be anything else?"

"I was going to ask if you're competent to stand trial." Minerva spoke. "Just giving you a moment to confess, but since I have a feeling you won't," She gestured to the projection.

 _\- Flashback -_

 _Ryder scoffed. "This is so stupid." He stood up, blinking a few times as he did so. "I'll be right back. I'm going to the bathroom." He walked past everyone and went into the bathroom, locking the door behind him._

 _He looked at himself in the mirror, gripping the counter with white-knuckled hands. His arms were shaking slightly, as were his hands, evident when he pulled one off of the counter and rubbed it down his face._

 _Reaching deep into his pocket, he pulled out a small plastic container of sorts. The outside of his small container had the name **LEXAPRO** scrawled across it on a white sticker, and when he opened it, there were a few small white pills in the container. He pulled one out and popped it in his mouth, running some water into his cupped hand and drinking the water._

 _"It's okay," He whispered to himself. "It's fine."_

 _In reality, he knew it wasn't alright, considering he was only supposed to take one of those a day, and that was the second -_ or was it the third? _He thought to himself - that he had taken that day._

 _He looked back at himself in the mirror, and nodded, closing the small container and shoving it back into his pocket._

 _\- End of Flashback -_

Ryder stared at the projection in shock for a moment, before speaking up. "That's my prescription. I don't know why that's a big deal."

"Really?" Minerva asked. "Shall we ask your sister how many of those you're supposed to take a day? Or maybe we'll just ask her what she thinks about you taking a few more than prescribed."

October breathed out in surprise, feeling many emotions overwhelming her at once. "That's why your hands were shaking." She concluded, before frowning. "You do know that you can't abuse those, right? They don't get you high, Ryder."

"Leave it alone, October." Ryder said, though it sounded more like a plead than a demand. "What does this have to do with anything?"

"You are not in your right state of mind and, therefore, you will be forced to be dismissed." Juno announced. "October Adams, please come forward."

Ryder glared. "That's not fair!" He shouted. "I know what I've always thought! Eliza deserves everything she gets! Mari is dead because of her!"

October came up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder, "Ryder, come on. Just go back there."

He pulled away from her. "No! Mari is dead! We've lost too much!"

"I'm sorry." October told him sincerely. "I am, but we can't do anything about it. All we can do is move forward."

Ryder made a face, "Yeah, well I wish I didn't have to." He walked away from her and stood back in his original spot while she turned to the Gods.

"How do you plea?" Minerva asked once everything was quiet.

October looked back at the others. "Not guilty." As she said this, she could see the surprised and some angry looks from her friends. "Eliza is innocent." She said as she turned back.

Minerva looked surprised as well, but continued on as normal. "What was your relationship with Marissa?"

She smiled fondly. "Mari was my best friend. I miss her, but that doesn't change the fact that Eliza isn't guilty."

"Why do you say that?" Minerva crossed her arms.

October looked at Eliza. "I think we've overlooked something. Eliza _did_ warn Mari before she died. She wasn't supposed to, and she was afraid of what you would do to her, but she did it anyway because she cared about all of us. She had no idea that Mari was going to sacrifice herself - Eliza was warning her to make sure she didn't die. Yes, she may not have done it in the right way and she may have broken her word, but you guys got the same result and she tried to do the right thing. Come on, why punish her for what could've happened, if you got what you wanted anyway?"

The three Gods looked at each other for a moment, before Jupiter spoke up, "You truly believe she's innocent?"

"Yes." October nodded. "I do. She was selfless in doing trying for us, and you got what you wanted. My friends may not agree right now, but that's because this is all happening directly after the death of one of our best friends. Over time, I believe that they will come to think like this too."

"I see," Jupiter said. "You want her? Take her, but she is banished from Mount Olympus forever and will be stripped of her powers."

October raised an eyebrow. "You can strip us of our powers?"

"Not necessarily." Mercury butt in. "Your powers are biological, but he can put a block on them so they can't manifest."

"Correct. Eliza James, step forward." Jupiter ordered, and Eliza did as she was told. He pointed her staff at her, and she felt a strange sensation go over her before he stopped. "You will never be aloud back to Mount Olympus, which is punishable by death, should you return. Go back to Earth with the rangers, now."

Eliza nodded hastily. "Of course. Thank you, Jupiter." She turned around and walked over to October, who gave her a small smile.

October gestured back. "Come on, let's get back home. I'm glad you're coming back - I don't want to lose another friend."

"I don't know how I can ever repay you," Eliza breathed out in shock as they walked over to Mercury with the others.

The pink ranger shook her head. "Don't - it wasn't a favor. That's how I really feel. I know the others aren't happy with you now, but they will come around. Until then, you always have me as a friend."

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Guardians of the Galaxy:** Luca gets an internship at a vet's office, trying to help all of the animals hurt in Saturn's attacks, but he also has to deal with Alice finding out about his kiss with Mari and a difficult boss. Meanwhile, Bella has a hard time finding her place on the team.

 **Next Chapter Title:** Love Animals

 **Like I said above, this was different than I usually do, but I hope you guys really enjoyed it! This caused some secrets to get out, and this will affect the next few chapters. Also, if you're wondering why Aiden didn't have a flashback, it's because the Gods were pleased with what he was saying and didn't feel the need to manipulate him for their own good.**

 **I know I ended it with a few things hanging in the air, but don't worry, everything you're probably thinking off _will_ be addressed soon. If you're wondering, by the way, Eliza is not technically a normal human, she just had her powers removed, and her struggle with the rangers will be a story line for a while, and October will be a big driving force to the rangers forgiving her, as she will stick by her words.**

 **Oh, and I'll be doing an anniversary chapter on Earth Defenders this August (long time, I know, but I need to start planning now) and so I have a poll on my profile asking for your favorite character from every season - currently Dino Squad is up, so if you read that series, please vote! Data Surge will be next!**

 **Anyways, here are the upcoming five chapters!**

 **Ep 17: Collision Part I -** Ryder focused chapter.

 **Ep 18: Collision Part II -** Ryder focused chapter - possibly have a part III.

 **Ep 19: No Place Like Home -** Aiden focused chapter.

 **Ep 20: Goddess Of War -** October focused chapter.

 **Ep 21: People Skills -** Jackie focused chapter.

 **I hope you guys liked this chapter, and I'll be back with the next one soon!**

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


	16. Ep 16: Your Place

**Hey guys! I know you're probably wondering why I'm updating this chapter and not Earth Defenders. Well, since I'm trying to keep to a deadline, I'm gonna try to get out two chapters every time I update this. Bare with me for a while, because I haven't gotten into the habit of writing daily yet. This is causing me to write whichever story I'm inspired by at the moment, just to help keep me on track, so don't expect a schedule too much anymore.** **Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Aiden walked down the hallway of the school, ignoring the stares directed at him as he usually did nowadays. Ever since everyone had found out that they were rangers, Aiden and the others almost always got stared at or something of that sort. Some would look away if he looked back at them, but others would continue to stare as if he was some kind of freak.

Even some of his old friends would do this. One of his friends, Brent, someone he had known for a longer time than most, was no longer comfortable around him, claiming that it was dangerous. That conversation occurred a few days earlier, after Aiden had waited a month to hear what he had to say about it.

Unfortunately, Brent and Aiden were roommates, which meant Aiden no longer had a place to live. At least Brent had given him a little while to figure everything out, but he had nowhere to go.

Since Mari died, Liela had been strange about letting the rangers stay there. Aiden assumed it was because Liela had a hard time dealing with Mari's death, as well as having to walk past her old room and see all of her things remaining since they had nowhere to put them.

He knew that this situation was hard for all of them, and he really didn't want to impose against anyone.

Aiden was thrown out of his thoughts when he saw Luca standing at his locker alone. The blue ranger was shuffling through his things, though it didn't really look like he was truly searching for anything, instead just looking to pass the time. Aiden sighed and walked up to him, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, man."

Luca was startled for a short moment, before he saw it was Aiden. "Hey, what's up?" Luca gave him a pursed lip smile.

"You're mad," Aiden concluded. "What happened?"

He shrugged, "I think you know what happened. I made a mistake, and yes, I should've told Alice about it right when it happened, but now, she won't talk to me. She's pissed."

"At least you finally told her," Aiden said, trying to lighten the mood. "Even if October said she would if you didn't. She'll come around, I'm sure. Alice isn't one to hold a grudge for long."

"Maybe not, but you know what happens after a grudge is over? They decide whether to forgive you or not. What happens when she chooses not?" Luca asked.

"I'm sorry to say it, but that's on you, Luca." Aiden leaned against the lockers, giving Luca a pointed look. "I know it was a stupid mistake, but you shouldn't have kissed Mari. I know you can't change the past, and it would probably just be easier to move past this, but the past does still hurt."

Luca sighed, frustrated. "Okay, so what am I supposed to do? Let this mistake define me for the rest of time?"

"No," Aiden shook his head. "But, just because you can't change the past, doesn't mean that you can't change the future. Show Alice how much she means to you and that she can trust you now."

The bell rang, and Luca looked at Aiden. "Well, we'll see what happens. I can't do it today, anyways, I have work after school."

Aiden frowned. "Work? I didn't know you had a job."

"It's not really a job." Luca said as they began to walk to class. "I signed up for an internship at a vet's office, and today's my first day."

"That's awesome, man. I wish I could get a job," Aiden chuckled. "Good luck with that, and Alice."

Luca nodded as Aiden walked the opposite way to get to his class. "Thanks, man." He muttered, before walking towards his own class.

 **\- Cue Opening 2 -**

Bella walked through the school aimlessly, trying to think of someone she could walk with or hang out with now that school was over. She had been struggling with everyone knowing she's a ranger as well, having most of her friends afraid to hang out with her because they could get attacked.

While Bella knew they had reason to be afraid, she would be too if she was in the same scenario, but she was also upset that they would just drop her like they did just because of this.

As she continued to walk down the path, she saw Jackie sitting alone at a lunch table, reading a book quietly. Bella smiled slightly to herself and walked over to the table, sitting down across from Jackie, who looked up from her book and stared at her, waiting for her to speak.

"Hey," Bella said a bit awkwardly.

Jackie's expression didn't change. "Hello, Bella."

"How are you?" She asked, not really knowing what to talk about.

"I am physically well," Jackie responded. She paused for a moment before speaking up again. "Aiden reported to me that you are not a very kind person."

Bella frowned. "What? What do you mean? What did he say?"

"He explained to me that you are not reasonable when talking to, as well as that you have never been known as a sincere person," Jackie told her. "I have heard similar attributes about you from my peers."

The yellow ranger made a face. "Well, what do you think?"

Jackie shrugged. "October relayed to me that you have moments of kindness. She believes that you can be a good ally if we continue to bond with you."

Bella nodded slowly. "And...?"

"I agree with her statement." Jackie stated. "I am not rather emotional, so that may be the reason I feel this way, but I have not seen bad attributes from you since we were acquainted."

"Oh," Bella said, obviously rather confused by this interaction. "Well, I don't care what he thinks. Just because he changed overnight when he became a ranger doesn't mean that I have to."

Jackie raised an eyebrow. "I had an inquiry about Aiden's rapid change, and I think I have determined that he began acting differently due to his need to be endearing to others."

"So, you think Aiden is being fake?" Bella asked, not sure about what Jackie was saying.

The white ranger shook her head. "That is incorrect." Jackie looked slightly frustrated that Bella didn't understand her. "I am trying to relay that Aiden did not change for himself, but changed for others. He does not hold himself in high regard, and therefore believes that his change was completely due to interference from others."

Bella crossed her arms. "For someone who claims to not understand emotions well, you sure seem to know a lot about this."

"I know basic psychology," Jackie informed her. "And I never claimed not to _understand_ emotion, but not to be emotional myself. I do not personally see the logic in it, though I do understand the basic nature of emotional response."

She gave her a pursed lip smile. "Alright, well, what does Aiden's lack of self-esteem have to do with anything?"

"You hold yourself in very high regards." Jackie said. "Whereas he does not. I was simply explaining that he changed due to others - that he wanted it because he needs approval from others to ensure that he can feel well. You, on the other hand, are practically the opposite, as you generally only need your own opinion rather than that of others."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Would it make a difference to you if I believed it was?" Jackie inquired, narrowing her eyes slightly. "I do not believe so. As I began, you only require your opinion to be pleased, and you do not often care for that of others."

Bella frowned. "That's not true. I listen to others."

"That is not what I was implying. I stated that you do not _care_ for the opinion of others, meaning that you may listen, but you don't heed the advice." Jackie replied. "Am I incorrect?"

"I..." Bella sighed exasperatedly. "It depends. I don't make friends very easily, but when I do, I care about their opinions. When I just know people, I don't because I don't care about them - they're not important to me."

Jackie nodded. "Are we important to you?"

Bella seemed almost startled by this question. "What?"

"Are we important to you?" Jackie repeated.

The yellow ranger paused for a long moment. "I.. I don't know. Obviously someone like Aiden is not my friend; he doesn't want anything to do with me. Same with Ryder, but I expected that. Luca's kinda a moot point, mostly because I don't really have any bond with him. You and October are the closest things I have to friends." She shrugged. "I don't know, I don't really have a place on this team."

Jackie made a face. "What do you mean?"

Bella looked down. "Well, like this: Aiden's the leader, October's like the big sister, Ryder's the rebellious one, Luca's the quiet one, and you're the smart one. You all fit together as a team. I don't fit like that. Do you get what I'm talking about?"

"No," Jackie shook her head at Bella. "I don't understand why you insist in grouping us in stereotypical positions to make sense of how we get along. That's not how it works."

She opened her mouth to respond when she felt her locket heat up. She looked down before looking back up at Jackie to see she had noticed as well. "Let's go." The two left their things and ran out of the courtyard.

\- PRGG -

Luca was on his way to his internship when he felt his own locket heat up and he groaned. He looked and saw the vet's office just up ahead of him, but, after taking one last look at it, turned around and ran towards the battle, morphing on his way.

As he arrived, he saw Aiden, October, and Ryder already engaged in a fight with a figure that looked a lot like a normal, adult woman. He frowned in confusion as he heard Jackie and Bella arrive next to him, both morphed as well. "Jackie, you know who this is?"

"Helle," Jackie answered. "Half-nymph, half-human."

Bella frowned under her helmet. "I thought nymph's were supposed to be good." Just as she said this, Helle raised her arms and clouds formed above her, striking Aiden, October, and Ryder with lightning. "Maybe not."

Jackie turned to her. "Nymphs are usually good, and are uncontrollable by men, however, Helle is only half-nymph..."

"Meaning she can be controlled." Luca nodded grimly. "Of course."

The three pulled out their weapons and ran into battle, but she struck them with lightning before they could get in close. Luca growled in frustration and pushed himself to his knees, looking around him. Nearby, there was a discarded hose that was still running water, presumably because the person using it had to leave quickly.

His hand shot out towards it, using his ability to draw the water out of it and strike Helle. She was startled and disoriented at first, but quickly used her own hands to summon her lightning, striking the water and turning it electric, making it extremely dangerous.

Luca immediately tried to stop, especially when it felt like he was being electrocuted just from using the water to strike her. A sharp pain ran up his arm and it felt like fire was spreading quickly through his body as he stopped, making his grab his hand and fall back to the ground in pain.

Aiden shoved himself to his feet. "I'm tired of you," He said, summoning his own lightning, shooting it right at her.

"Nice try," Helle smirked as she countered it with her own, the two each trying to beat the other at their own game, pushing the lightning closer to the other person.

The other rangers pushed themselves up and regrouped, watching Aiden and Helle try to overpower each other. From the angle they were standing, the five could see the point where the two lightning strikes met, a small ball of energy collecting the in middle, though it was moving closer to Aiden by the second, much to the rangers' dismay.

October, in particular, watched in worry, before stepping forward when she saw Aiden stepping back a bit from the power used against him. "Helle, _stop!_ " She demanded, putting every bit of her own power into her words as she could. " _I said stop!_ "

She saw Helle look at her, the power she was exerting waning in response. Unfortunately, while it may have slowed her down, it didn't stop her as she sent out a sudden burst of energy at Aiden and the other rangers before disappearing into thin air.

"Aiden!" Seeing Aiden lying, demorphed, on the ground a few feet away, October got to her feet and demorphed as well, running over to him. She fell to her knees beside him and put a gentle hand on his cheek, making him slowly open his eyes.

When he did, he saw her above him and shot her a lopsided smile. "You're so beautiful."

She laughed out loud, relieved that he was alright. "Thank you, handsome." October smiled and helped him to his feet, steadying him when he swayed slightly. "Are you okay?"

"A little sore," He shrugged, kissing her on the forehead.

"I can escort Aiden back to the command center for medical treatment, if you like," Jackie offered. "I assume you have prior engagements, considering I have not seen much of you today."

October smiled gratefully at her. "That would great, thank you," She turned to Aiden. "Go get checked out and come back to see me, okay?"

"Can't I just go with you now?" He mocked pouted. "I miss you."

She rubbed a hand over his back. "I'll see you after I know that you're okay."

Aiden sighed. "Fine. Let's go, Jackie," He said, allowing the white ranger to lead the way.

Luca watched the exchange, a bit jealous at how well Aiden and October were doing, as opposed to his own relationship. He then looked at his watch suddenly and gasp. "Oh shit, I'm late!" He said, looking at the others. "I have to go!" He nodded at the others and ran off in the direction of the veterinarian's office.

\- PRGG -

Luca arrived at the office, out of breath from running, and was luckily only about 30 minutes late. While he hated being late in any case, he was glad that it didn't take as long as it could've, being an attack and all.

He walked up to the desk and smiled at the receptionist with as much conviction as he could, though he imagined he probably looked like a mess. "Hi, I'm Luca Johnson. I'm here for the internship with Dr. Gonzalez."

The receptionist, a young woman around the age of 21, smiled at him, looking him over as she stood to walk around the desk. She had long dark hair and dark skin. "I'm glad you're finally here. I'm Christie, Dr. Gonzalez's student." Christie shook his hand. "I love your accent, by the way. Where are you from?"

"Thank you," He said, shaking her hand back. "I'm from New Zealand - I moved here a little over a year ago."

Christie looked at him in awe. "That's awesome. I've never gone anywhere outside of California, if you'd believe that." She shook her head. "Sorry, I'm getting distracted. You probably want to meet Dr. Gonzalez now." She gestured for him to follow her.

"Don't worry about it," Luca shrugged. "You're fine."

"Okay, thank you. I just get told that I ramble on sometimes," She said, a bit sheepishly as she led him through a door to the back. "Dr. Gonzalez is through here," She led him into an office in the back, where a woman was sitting, working on her computer.

The woman looked up when they walked in. Dr. Gonzalez was a middle-aged woman with tan skin, hazel eyes, and dark hair. She regarded Luca with little interest. "May I help you?"

Christie spoke up before Luca could. "This is Luca Johnson. He's here for the internship,"

"I asked him, Christina." Dr. Gonzalez cleared her throat, and Christie sighed, leaving the room. "So, you're Luca Johnson." She looked him over. "You're half an hour late."

Luca nodded. "Yeah, I'm very sorry. I'm sure you know this already, but I'm one of the rangers and there was a..."

Dr. Gonzalez cut him off. "I know who you are. I would never accept someone that I didn't look into."

He stared at her. "Okay, so you understand, right?"

"No, I don't." Dr. Gonzalez crossed her arms, leaning forward onto her desk. "You should've been here on time."

Luca blinked a few times in confusion, raising an eyebrow. "I can't control when there's an attack, Dr. Gonzalez. If there's an attack I have to go. I don't know how you expect me to just.. not go."

"If you couldn't handle this job," Dr. Gonzalez stood up, revealing herself to be a rather tall woman. "You shouldn't have signed up for it. People don't do things that they don't think they have time for - that's poor time management and shows that you obviously are not a responsible person."

"Wait, what?" Luca frowned, confused by her attitude. "I'm sorry, I just..."

Dr. Gonzalez shook her head. "Just come with me so you can get started. We don't have anymore time to waste." She exited the room, Luca following after her dejectedly.

\- PRGG -

"So," Alice sat down on the couch at October and Ryder's apartment, sipping a glass of water as she looked at October sitting in front of her. "As we were saying before the attack, what are you gonna do about Ryder?"

October sighed, rubbing a hand over her face. "I have no idea. I don't know what the case here is, exactly."

Alice made a face. "Well, we know he's popping pills." She said, as if it wasn't obvious. "Even though what he's taking isn't addictive and can't get you high."

"Yeah," October nodded. "But I don't think he's taking them to get high. Surprisingly, Ryder's not the type."

"It's a real shame, we totally could've smoked him out." Alice chuckled, nudging her.

October laughed lightly. "That would be better than what he's doing now,"

"Oh, way better." Alice said as they sobered. "Okay, moving on from that joke, in all seriousness, he could overdose, October. You have to do something."

"I know." October looked at a picture of herself, Ryder, and their parents on the wall. "I think he's taking them because he doesn't feel like they're working anymore, even though the devastation he's feeling over Mari is normal for the situation. His judgement is clouded by his pain."

"That makes a lot of sense," Alice took a sip of her water. "What does that mean for..."

October cut her off. "Stop. I know you care about my brother and all, but I will handle it on my own. You have your own problem right now."

"Is my problem with Luca really more important than your's with Ryder?" Alice crossed her arms. At October's look, she continued. "Maybe I just wanna be involved in your journey to find help for your brother."

The pink ranger shook her head. "We've already gone over this before, and we haven't gotten anywhere past it. I'm gonna try to talk to him soon and let you know how it went. Now, onto you and Luca. What are you gonna do about it?"

Alice put her glass on the coffee table in front of them. "I don't know. What do you think I should do?"

"Well, normally I would say to dump him." October admitted. "But, in this case, I don't know. Luca's a great guy, and it was just one kiss."

She frowned. "He told me that he thought about really being into her like that. He could've broken up with me for her, October. Do you think she asked him to?"

October made a face. "Mari would never do that. She thought you guys were a good couple."

Alice nodded in slight anger. "So it was his decision, then." She concluded.

"Neither of us know what was going on between them," October pointed out. "And whatever it was, Mari is gone and Luca loves you."

"Does it really count if the only reason they don't have anything because she's dead?"

October didn't say anything for a moment. "They stopped right after it happened. They wouldn't have done that to you."

"No," Alice scowled at nothing in particular. "They wouldn't have done it _because_ of me. They're too noble or whatever for that."

"You don't know that." October sat forward, giving her a hard look. "Stop acting like he did this because he doesn't love you. You know he does - you're just letting your insecurities get the best of you. Maybe he really did want a relationship with Mari, but so what? He didn't because you're very important to him. He may have liked Mari, but he _loves_ you."

"I..." Alice trailed off, looking for the right words to say. As she did so, Ryder walked into the room and started looking through the fridge, attracting their attention.

October turned around to look at the kitchen. "Hey, I haven't seen you since we got home."

Ryder nodded. "Yeah, you two were busy whispering out here to do so."

"Or you were locked away in your room," October gave him a look.

He stood up from the fridge, closing it and drinking out of the water bottle he had grabbed. "Well, luckily for you, I'm not in there. Actually, I'm leaving."

She frowned. "Where are you going?"

Ryder shrugged. "I'm just hanging out." He walked over to the front door and opened it, surprised to see Aiden standing there, about to knock. "October, your boyfriend's here." Before she could respond, Ryder slipped past Aiden and left, letting Aiden walk in and close the door behind him.

"Liela cleared me," Aiden started. "She said I am okay and the main reason I demorphed was exhaustion from the way I was using my powers."

Alice looked between the two and cleared her throat suggestively. "So, I'm guessing you two have.. things to do. I should probably leave you to them."

"Hold on," Aiden stopped her from leaving. "Luca's gonna be at the vet's office tomorrow after school for his internship. You should think about going to see him and maybe talking about what happened."

"Maybe I will." Alice rubbed her arm awkwardly as she moved towards the door. "Thanks."

Aiden nodded once. "No problem. I hope you go." He said as she exited the apartment, leaving October and Aiden to themselves. He turned to October and saw her looking at him in admiration. "What?"

"You're so sweet, trying to help her like that." October stood up and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck seductively. "I'm so happy you're here."

He chuckled a little. "I'm happy to be here, beautiful."

October kissed him deeply before pulling away slightly. "I'm not ready for our date yet," She admitted.

"That's fine," He said, looking her over. "Maybe I'll help you get ready."

She smirked, running a hand through the back of his hair. "I'd like that."

\- PRGG -

Ryder was walking around the mall alone, a bit aimlessly. He didn't really know what he was going to do there, but he also didn't really want to be back at his apartment with October, as it had been rather awkward since she had found out about what he had been doing to cope.

He sat down on a bench in the mall and looked up at the ceiling, a bit lost in thought when he felt someone sit next to him. He ignored it for a moment, before he saw a familiar yellow shirt out of the corner of his eye and looked over at the person, seeing that it was Bella.

"Wow, October will send just about anyone to spy on me, won't she?" Ryder shook his head, about to leave when Bella touched his arm lightly.

"October didn't send me." She told him quickly. "I was walking around when I saw you and figured I should come over. You look upset."

"I'm not upset." He insisted.

Bella crossed her arms. "I know you don't like me, but I'm not gonna tell anyone if you tell me what's going on."

"This has nothing to do with you." Ryder scoffed. "But it seems just like you to make it all about Bella."

She made a face. "I just want to know what's wrong. I'm just trying to make an effort here."

Ryder raised an eyebrow. "You wanna make an effort? What kind of effort are you trying to make? You wanna actually know or do you just want to be in good with the team?"

Bella sighed. "I want to be your guys' friend, and of course I want to be good with the team. Why wouldn't I want to be?"

"Because you think you're better than us." Ryder said bluntly.

"I..." She trailed off, before looking at him fiercely. "I made a mistake of judging you too soon, and Jackie, of all people, made me realize that today. I figured that you all had a specific role that made you work together, but that's not it; you're just really great friends. I may be a cold, conceited bitch but, right now, I'm trying to be your friend. I have never experienced something like this - where I feel like I don't belong with a group of people that I _should_ belong with. You guys are my teammates and I just want a place on this team."

He stared at her for moment. "You wanna be friends? And you want a place on the team?"

"Yes," Bella nodded. "I know that you and Aiden, particularly, are upset because I'm taking Mari's place, but I don't want to. I'm not trying to be what Mari was to you guys, I want to be what I'm supposed to be. All of you are comparing me to Mari and you need to stop."

"I never said..."

"You don't have to." Bella interrupted him. "I can see it in the way you all look at me. The only two that don't are October and Jackie, and Jackie didn't even know Mari for more than a day."

Ryder looked down. "Why are you telling me about this?"

"I never get close to people, not very much, but.. being with this team, I feel like you all are so connected, even when you don't get along. Even though I don't have a place in that yet, I feel that connection too." Bella explained. "I want to stop experiencing everything from the outside. I want to be apart of this and be your friend. Is that so hard to understand?"

He cleared his throat. "You didn't answer my question."

Bella sighed, a bit frustrated. "I don't know. I guess it's because you're the most against all of this, and I really want you to know that I'm trying."

"I see." Ryder didn't really know how to respond to her opening up to him. He looked back up at her. "I am upset, by the way."

She frowned. "What?"

"You asked me if I was upset earlier," Ryder reminded her. "I am. October walks on eggshells around me and I hate it. She doesn't need to act like I'm gonna break or something - it's already happened."

Bella raised her eyebrows in surprise. "It has?"

He nodded. "Yeah, it has. I've already been broken and glued back together once, and now it's happened again but I can't seem to find any glue. There is nothing that puts me back together." Ryder stood up and shook his head. "I don't even know why I'm telling you this. I'm gonna go."

She stood up with him quickly, before he could turn and walk the other way. "Thank you."

"For what?" Ryder made a face.

"For just telling me that," Bella said, a bit awkwardly. "I know that it must be hard."

Ryder looked away from her. "Look, just.. this conversation didn't happen, alright? It stays between us." He was about to walk away when he stopped. "But, you do have a place on this team. You were right - the team works because we're friends, and you're our friend, as much as some of us would like to deny it. We're just working through everything that's happened. Don't take it personal." Ryder told her, before walking away without letting her respond.

\- PRGG -

The next day, Luca arrived at the vet's office on time, though he was surprised to see Dr. Gonzalez waiting for him in the front room, her arms crossed and an impatient look on her face. He checked his watch, making sure he had the right time, before walking up to her.

"Good afternoon, Dr. Gonzalez." Luca tried to greet her as nicely as possible. "What's going on?"

Dr. Gonzalez shrugged. "I figured you'd be early today to make up for being late yesterday. No matter, maybe I'll keep you after."

Luca frowned. "Okay, I know that you're the boss and everything, but you can't do that." He crossed his arms to mock her position. "I had a _valid_ reason for being late yesterday, and you know it. Don't do this. Don't ruin my dream because you want to punish me for nothing." As he said this, he could feel eyes on him from almost everyone in the room.

"The only one ruining your dream is you," Dr. Gonzalez retorted. "You were late yesterday because you can't handle this!"

"Or, he was late because of a ranger battle, not even 5 miles from here." A voice defended Luca, and he turned in surprise to see Alice standing there, hands on her hips. "You know damn well that he can handle this- you're just a bitch."

He smiled at her. "Alice, what are you doing here?"

Alice looked down sheepishly. "Aiden told me you'd be here. I figured we should talk."

"You might as well," Dr. Gonzalez said, gesturing to the door. "Get the hell out of my office. You're being let go."

Luca glared at her. "I don't care. Alice is right, you're a bitch. I don't wanna work for you." He tossed some forms he had to fill out in the trash as he and Alice left, finding a bench on the street and sitting down together. "So, what were you gonna say?"

She sighed. "Do you love me?" Alice asked, after a moment of hesitation.

He stared at her in shock. "Are you joking? Of course I love you. I love you more than anything."

"I love you too." Alice looked down, biting her lip to hold back her emotions. "I wanted to tell you that I need some time to think. I want to be with you, and I want us to be close regardless, but I need some time to figure this all out."

"Okay." Luca nodded. "I'll be waiting for you."

Alice raised an eyebrow. "That's it? No argument or anything?"

"I made a mistake." He told her. "I kissed another girl. I shouldn't have done that, because I love you too much to lose you. Yes, she meant something to me, but no one will ever mean as much to me as you do. Someone today told me that I should show you how much I love you, and I'm trying. I want you to be happy so, whatever you choose, I will be behind you 100%."

She was silent for a moment, before opening her mouth to speak, but was cut off by him looking down at his morpher. Alice nodded when he looked at her. "Go. I'll mull this over and tell you when decide."

Luca stood. "Before I go, I just want to put it out there that you'll always have that place in my heart, however long it takes for you to decide what my place is." He told her, before running in the opposite direction to get to the battle.

\- PRGG -

When Luca arrived to battle, his sword out and ready to fight, he felt a hand on his shoulder stop him. He turned to see Aiden, who had shoved himself up from the ground to get to him.

"I need your help," Aiden told him. "We're gonna tag team it, after the others weaken her."

As he told Luca his plan, the others were working on weakening Helle for the two. Jackie blasted her from afar before running in and pulling the head of her blaster out, turning it into a sword. She jumped up and slashed down as she ran through Helle, before standing off to the side as she became disoriented in her pain.

She then stared at Helle, using her mental abilities to attack her. Helle grabbed her head in pain and screeched loudly, glaring at Jackie in the process.

With Helle distracted by Jackie, Bella closed her eyes and concentrated on the ground. Suddenly, vines shot out of the ground beneath Helle, grabbing her and throwing her into a car before retreating back into the ground. As this occurred, Jackie stopped using her powers and Bella joined her where she was standing.

Helle turned her head at Bella, growling low in her throat, baring her teeth and showing razor sharp ones in the process, most likely from her nymph side.

"Gross," Bella made a face as Ryder stepped up to Helle.

Ryder grabbed Helle by her neck and lifted her up in the air with ease, before slamming her back to the ground so hard that the ground indented around her. He continued to push her down to the ground cracked even more. She struggled against him, but he lifted her upper body and slammed it again, winding her before he got up and went to stand with Bella and Jackie.

October was last to come up to Helle, her sword drawn. Looking at her on the ground, October pulled Helle to her feet and got in close, pointing her sword right at Helle's face. Helle smirked, spitting some blood out of her mouth. "What, the daughter of the goddess of love and beauty doesn't have a fancy power to use on me too? Bummer for you," She shook her head. "Useless."

The sword only got closer to her face, and Helle started to feel a burning on her skin. Her smirk fell into a pained expression as she looked down at her arms and saw a sunburn like wound growing across her body. She looked up in anger and saw that October, herself, was also slightly confused. "How are you doing this?"

"I..." October trailed off, before her expression hardened. "That's not important." She pulled away as Helle tried to fix the burn somehow, and regrouped with the others. "How the hell did I do that?"

Jackie looked at her. "Your biological manipulation. You can do anything to the biology of someone's body that you want, among other things."

October nodded. "Yeah that.. makes sense, I guess."

The two stopped their conversation when Aiden stood a good distance away from Helle as she stood tall. "You pathetic little rangers think a sunburn and a few bruises will take me down? Try again. And you," She laughed at Aiden. "Let's dance, boy."

Helle shot her lightning at him, as he did the same to her. Luca watched them from a different position, near a fire hydrant. As they struggled for the upper hand, Luca focused his power into the water in the hydrant, making it pile up towards the side.

The fire hydrant began to shake slightly under the force until the side popped off and Luca directed the water flow towards Helle, striking her with a strong blast of water. Aiden took advantage of this and forced more lightning into his attack, electrocuting her in the process. She immediately stopped striking him and exploded before their eyes.

After that, Aiden stopped his attack, as did Luca, making an effort to redirect the water flow out of the top of the hydrant, making sure it wouldn't do anything more than make some people wet.

The sixth rangers came together in the middle of the street where they were fighting. "Great plan, Aiden." Luca clapped him on the shoulder.

"Couldn't have done it without you, man." Aiden chuckled, the group demorphing. "Come on, let's get out of here before people show back up." At his statement, the six exited the area.

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Guardians of the Galaxy:** Ryder's struggles come to a head after a talk with October, causing him to make a dangerous, and potentially deadly, mistake in battle.

 **Next Chapter Title:** Collision Part I

 **Like I said above, I'm going to try to update this story more than once whenever I do update it, as I have quite a few chapters to finish to get this done to be able to give you guys a surprise on August 4th, besides my fifth anniversary team-up.** **To complete my task, however, I have to finish Rainbow Fighters and get to the season 1 finale of Earth Defenders, so updates are going to be all over the place and for whichever story I'm inspired by at the moment.**

 **I should also point out that chapters will not be coming at the same time during the day, but throughout to give some space between them. Speaking of which, I'm really excited to show you guys the next two-parter, which is probably one of my favorites so far and is great for Ryder's character development! I'll post part one later today, and try to get part two out between today and tomorrow.**

 **There's a poll on my page asking for your favorite Power Rangers: Animal Guardians ranger this time, so please go vote if you read that! It'll bring that character back for my Earth Defenders 5th anniversary team up! Guardians of the Galaxy rangers come next - I'll let you guys know when!**

 **Anyways, here are the upcoming five chapters!**

 **Ep 18: Collision Part II -** Ryder focused chapter.

 **Ep 19: No Place Like Home -** Aiden focused chapter.

 **Ep 20: Goddess Of War -** October focused chapter.

 **Ep 21: Politician's Daughter -** Jackie focused chapter.

 **Ep 22: Fair -** Bella focused chapter.

 **I hope you guys liked this chapter, and I'll be back with the next one soon!**

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


	17. Ep 17: Collision Part I

**Hey guys, here's the next chapter! Hope you enjoy it - it's one of my favorites!**

* * *

"I will destroy you for killing my mother!" Almops, the giant the rangers were fighting, yelled. "I will destroy you all!"

Aiden shook his head as they all stood in front of him, having regrouped after being smacked to the ground by Almops' large staff, which had a likeness more to a baseball bat in that the top was thick and the bottom was thinner. The rangers were panting and exhausted from the fight, but were still standing strong.

"No." Aiden proclaimed. "You'll never beat us! No one will!" He looked at the others. "Let's blast this son of a bitch back to where ever he came from."

The others nodded and all took out their blasters, training them on Almops. He smirked at them. "Try me, rangers. I will get my revenge, trust me." October concentrated for a moment on Almops, and he began twist his head in slight pain. "That's pathetic, pink ranger."

Bella put one hand towards a nearby tree, making the branches twist out and wrap around Almops, holding him firmly in place so they would have a clear shot.

"Ready?" Aiden looked at his teammates, and they nodded. "Fire!"

The six rangers fired at Almops, hitting him dead on and making him fly back, hitting the ground hard. The branches that were holding him laid on the ground, smoking from the blast that had fired near them.

Luca frowned. "Why is he just laying there?" He asked, looking at the others. "Shouldn't he explode like all the others?"

"Maybe it's different because he's a giant," Bella suggested. "I mean, monsters don't usually just get knocked out in a fight, do they? So, he must be a goner."

"Bella's probably right." Aiden said. "But we should check it out just to be sure."

"You guys can have fun with that." Ryder shook his head, demorphing before anyone could protest. "I'm getting out of here." He told them, walking back towards his motorcycle, which he had parked a ways away when the battle started.

October put her hands on her hips. "Ryder, you can't just leave. What if he's not dead?"

"Did you not hear Bella?" He crossed his arms. "Monsters don't just get knocked out. He looks dead to me - not breathing or anything." Ryder pointed out, and the rangers discovered that he was correct when they looked over. "So I'm leaving."

The pink ranger frowned at him. "Ryder, I..." She was cut off when he revved his motorcycle. "Where's your helmet?" She asked when she saw him get on without said helmet on his head.

Ryder shrugged. "I don't know, I'll figure it out later." He said, revving again when she tried to open her mouth to respond. Ryder finally started driving off, rather fast - even faster than he usually drove, passing by the others relatively quickly, even though he wasn't too close to them.

"Ryder!" He heard the others yell in fear, and turned slightly to see Almops, who was just ahead of him, moving to get up. he tried to steer out of the way, but Almops was quicker than him and slammed his staff into the side of Ryder's bike, throwing him extremely off-balance and making him slide towards the floor until he rammed into a parked car and spun out.

 **\- Cue Opening 2 -**

 *** Earlier that day***

October was in her bathroom, finishing up her makeup for the day. She touched up her hair a bit and straightened out her shirt before exiting the bathroom and picking up her backpack on the way out of her bedroom. When she left the bedroom, she saw the hall bathroom light on with the door open, and paused as she was walking by, taking in the sight before her.

She saw Ryder standing at the sink, staring at himself in the mirror, obviously lost in the thought. October was quite surprised that he left the door open while he did this, and knocked lightly on the door, startling him out of his stupor.

"Jeez, October," He frowned at her. "Haven't you ever heard of privacy?"

"Oh please." October rolled her eyes. "You left the door open. What are you doing?"

He shrugged, grabbing his jacket off of the counter. "Getting ready."

"Are you alright?" She asked, after a moment of looking him over. "You were just staring at yourself in mirror. I know something's going on."

"Don't look too much into things. I was just spacing out from waking up so early." Ryder muttered, turning the light off and moving past her to walk out into the kitchen, looking through the fridge.

"And you need to stop acting like I'm an idiot." October crossed her arms. "I know that you're still hurting over Mari's death. You've been having trouble ever since it happened."

Ryder's jaw clenched in anger. "She didn't have to die." He said lowly.

October nodded. "I know. You're right, and I'll never think any different but.. there's a point where you just have to accept what happened and move on. Dwelling on it won't make her come back, and neither will messing yourself up."

"I'm fine," Ryder glared at her. "I stopped doing it."

She stared at him for a moment. "You did?"

"Yeah, not that it makes a difference. I still feel the same as I did before." Ryder rubbed a hand down her face. "Look, this isn't a conversation I want to have right now."

"That's fine, we'll pick it up after school." October said, and her tone made it clear that she was not leaving room for argument.

Ryder shook his head. "No. I don't want to. I'm fine, okay?"

She shrugged. "Then you shouldn't care if we pick this back up."

His hands pulled into a fist. "I'm leaving." Ryder grabbed his backpack by the door and left, walking as quickly as he could to get away from his sister, who was close on his tail. He heard a bit of conversation behind him and heard footsteps rush back to meet him. "This isn't happening, October."

"Not October," A familiar voice spoke from beside him. He turned to see Alice looking pointedly up at him. "I figured I should try to talk to you if I could."

He rolled his eyes. "I'm not interested. Besides, all you're gonna do is try to talk me into being better for October because you don't care about me, you only care about her."

"Hey, I'm trying to help both you and October, alright? Look, you're worrying her," Alice said, giving him a hard look. "I'm not a stranger to depression, Ryder. I know how it is, but you're never gonna feel better if you continue to wallow and do nothing about it. At least _try_ to talk to her."

"Yeah, so she can send me to therapy or rehab or whatever she sees fit," Ryder retorted. "I'm not gonna let her send me away like that."

Alice elbowed him. "She's not gonna send you away, stupid. Your sister loves you and you know it. If you two can work this all out, I don't see why she would send you away. Besides, therapy isn't away, and you might need it."

Ryder scoffed. "I don't need it. I already go and it doesn't help." He ran a hand through his hair, almost exhaustedly. "I just want to be left alone."

"Come on..." Alice trailed off as Ryder cut across the street and left her alone, only for October to catch up with her. "It didn't go very well." She said, before October could ask. "But you could probably catch him after school or something."

October sighed. "Alright. Come on, let's get to school." She said, gesturing for them to continue walking.

\- PRGG -

Jackie was walking through the parking lot that morning, having cut through to get into the school sooner to make sure she wasn't late. Checking her phone, she found she was actually a few minutes earlier and sighed in relief, since she knew too many tardies would result in detention.

As she was about to walk into the school, she saw Aiden at his truck, messing around in the back seat, which seemed to be filled up pretty heavily. She could also see that the back of his truck was open at the moment, and there were even more objects stuffed in the trunk.

"Aiden?" She walked over to him, startling him. "Why is your truck so heavily occupied?"

He stared at her for a moment, trying to think of a response. "Well, I'm moving, so I had to put my stuff somewhere, right?"

"Why not your new place?" Jackie asked, raising an eyebrow as she walked closer, looking in his trunk. "This.. is an abnormal amount of things to just keep in your truck while you're moving. Shouldn't your clothes at least be at your new place?"

"I..." Aiden sighed and closed his trunk, gesturing for her to come towards the front of his truck for privacy from any prying ears. "I haven't found a place yet."

"You don't have a home?" She frowned. "Do you not live with your good friend, Brent?"

Aiden looked down. "I did, but he kicked me out because it was apparently too dangerous to have me as a friend."

"Because you're a power ranger." Jackie concluded. "You should ask Liela for a room at the command center."

"I can't." Aiden told her. "Liela doesn't want anyone staying there because it reminds her too much of Mari, so that's a bust. It's okay, though, I'll find something. Don't worry about it."

Jackie made a face. "I may not be very empathetic, but I do care about you as my friend and teammate, therefore your request not to worry will be disregarded."

"Okay, well, at least don't tell anyone." Aiden requested. "I really don't want anyone to know. I'll figure this all out, I swear, just promise me that this can stay between us."

She looked to the side, a bit conflicted. While she knew it would be the logical thing to tell someone and get him help, he assured her that he would be fine and would be able to find a place without it. Jackie looked at his face once more, and sighed when she saw the look on it. "I will avoid reporting this to anyone for now."

Aiden let a breath out in relief. "Thank you." He opened his mouth to say more when the bell rang, signalling class about to start. He gave her a look. "Well, I guess we better get in there." Aiden said, trying to rush her away from his truck. "Let's go."

\- PRGG -

Later that day, Bella was gardening in the small garden they had at the back of the school during 4th period, for which she had a free period. She often went to the garden during her free period, as it was one of her favorite things to do.

Nature calmed her a significant amount, and she assumed that was because of her mother. Being the daughter of the Goddess of agriculture, it only made sense that nature would make her feel very peaceful and at one with herself.

There was nothing that she had ever done that made her feel better than nature did, as she had tried to replicate that feeling so many times when she was unable to be outside, but she found that, while certain things definitely made her feel a bit better, it was nothing in comparison to nature. Nature was practically her drug of choice.

In all honestly, Bella would choose doing something in nature over practically anything else she could be doing. She had skipped going to parties with her friends just to take a stroll through the park, and had spent a whole day gardening even though she had other plans.

Bella hummed a bit to herself as she tended to her garden, watering certain plants, as well she helping some grow with her abilities. She heard footsteps behind her and stopped her task, only to turn and find Eliza behind her. "Oh, it's just you. I was worried it was gonna be someone else." Bella said, before continuing.

Eliza walked over and looked at the garden, seeming impressed. "Wow, this is pretty nice. Did you do this all yourself?"

"I wouldn't say I did it _all_ by myself, but most of it, yeah." Bella nodded, smiling proudly. "Do you like gardening?"

The intern shrugged. "I've never really done it, so I don't know."

"That sucks." Bella chuckled. "Gardening is probably the most amazing thing I've ever done. I love it so much," She looked Eliza over. "Do you like.. swimming or something?"

"What do you mean?" Eliza raised an eyebrow, a bit confused.

"Well, I've always assumed that I love gardening so much because my mother is the Goddess of agriculture, so I was wondering if you liked something that has to do with water or the sea." Bella explained. "Otherwise, I'm just a freak for gardening."

Eliza laughed. "Well, I love the ocean. There's definitely an effect I feel from being there." She paused for a moment. "Why are you being so nice to me? You and most of the others said I was guilty of Mari's death."

"You're not." Bella shook her head. "I never said you were guilty of Mari's death - I said you were guilty of breaking your word against the Gods. I agree with October, though. You tried to stop it and you shouldn't be scrutinized for not being able to." Bella sighed, turning to Eliza. "Besides, I know something about being scrutinized by the others."

She frowned. "How so?"

Bella pursed her lips. "I know it's not personal, I do, but it's still hard to see the expressions on their faces when they look at me. Whenever talk about Mari, some of them give me a certain type of look, you know?"

Eliza chuckled humorlessly. "Trust me, I get that look all the time. I know it better than anyone."

"Maybe you should just talk to them, individually, of course." Bella suggested. "A few days ago, I talked to Ryder - like really talked to him - for the first time, and we actually kinda bonded. He's not unreasonable, and neither are Aiden or Luca. Just present your case and they'll eventually come along, and if they don't, that's their loss. Remember that."

"Really?" Eliza rubbed her arm nervously. "It's their loss?"

Bella nodded. "Definitely. They're the ones holding onto something that can't be changed and, by talking to them, you're letting go and putting it in their hands. Whatever happens after that is on them."

The bell rang above them, and Eliza stood up. "Thanks, Bella. I appreciate it." She said, a bit awkwardly. Eliza had never seen Bella be so kind before, and assumed it may have something to do with her gardening. "I have to lunch. I'll see you later?"

"Yeah, sure." Bella smiled and watched Eliza walk off, before she continued tending her garden.

\- PRGG -

Saturn sat in his throne, carefully watching his monitor to see what had happened in the rangers' last battle to lead to a defeat. Polus watched him from afar, with Iapetus right behind him, observing his behavior.

Iapetus shook his head. "Saturn is becoming useless," He ground out, glaring at Polus. "His strategies never win against the rangers."

"Quiet, you fool." Polus scolded him. "You know that that is entirely untrue. He did what he needed to do against the yellow ranger, and will gain the upper hand when the next part of his plan is prepared."

"Not for a long while, if I must say." Iapetus crossed his arms. "It all depends on the status of our demigods, and it's not doing well."

Polus rolled his eyes. "You are ignorant, Iapetus. The son is moving forward, the daughter will discover her true self in time, and our special weapon.. well, she'll be ready when we are. Ops is still hidden with the humans, doing her job."

"And what is to come before that?" Iapetus asked. "Nothing? Is that our only plan?"

"Iapetus," Saturn's voice boomed through the area, startling the two generals for a moment, before they stalked into the room to stand before him. "Are you questioning my leadership?"

He bowed to Saturn. "Of course not, my liege. I'm simply wondering the status of our plans."

Saturn nodded slightly, standing up with his staff in hand, walking down to stand before Iapetus, pulling him roughly up from his bow and throwing him across the room, cracking the wall of Tartarus' cave. "Never question me!" He bellowed, causing the room to shake. "My plans are to get revenge against the Gods! These children are nothing!"

Iapetus looked up at him. "I'm sorry, my liege. I just wanted to help."

"You are not helping," Saturn hissed. "You want to rule. You want something you cannot and never will have, understand? I have plans for said children, and I will handle them on my time, not your's."

Polus continued to bow and face down, "Big plans, right, my liege?"

"Very big, Polus." Saturn smirked as he continued to glare at Iapetus. "Laestrygonians, Charybdis and Scylla, Gorgons, Furies, my family... So many choices." He grabbed Iapetus and shoved him to his feet. "I am a force to reckon with. Remember that, Iapetus." Saturn pushed him away and walked back up to his throne, ignoring him as he and Polus exited the room.

\- PRGG -

Alice was walking through target, having to pick up some things for her dad after school. She was about to grab a cart and walk around the store, when she saw Aiden stacking the hand-held baskets back in order. At first, she thought he was just doing it to be nice, but then she saw the target logo on his shirt and raised an eyebrow, walking over to him.

"Aiden, what are you doing?" She asked, startling him slightly. "Since when do you have a job?"

He frowned. "Jeez, everyone's on my ass today." Aiden muttered. "I just got it a few days ago, for your information."

She nodded slowly. "Okay, but why? I mean, your mom has a pretty good amount of money, and I know she lets you use it all the time. Did she cut you off or something?"

"She and her husband are leaving to move closer to his family, and she's taking her money with her." Aiden explained, his expression tight.

Alice made a face. "Wait, she's not leaving you with anything?"

Aiden sighed. "She is, but not enough to live off of for long."

She shrugged. "Well, with Brent's help, I think you two could make rent for a while, right?"

"I'm not gonna be living with Brent anymore." Aiden admitted. "He doesn't want me, and I don't want to impose, so I'm moving out too. On my own, I could pay rent for a while, but only if I spent exactly zero dollars on anything else at all times, including food or anything like that."

"Wow, that's harsh," Alice rubbed his arm comfortingly. "Do you have a place yet?"

He looked down, ashamed. "Kind of." _If you count my car as a place to live,_ He thought to himself."Don't worry about it, I'll be fine."

Alice scoffed. "So, how many people have you used that line on today? What's really going on? A person with a good, stable place wouldn't have that look on their face. They would be a lot more grateful, especially someone like you."

"I have a place, alright?" He crossed his arms. "This is just for extra money, and it's nothing to be concerned about. I would say something if anything was wrong."

She rolled her eyes. "You're such a liar. You wouldn't tell anyone if something was wrong because you'd want to handle it yourself so that you don't bother other people with your problems. I know that road, and it's not a good one - trust me."

Aiden shook his head, stacking the baskets once more. "I have to get to work and, even if I didn't, it's none of your business what's going on, alright?" He glared, stalking off after he finished his task, leaving Alice behind.

\- PRGG -

"Get off my back, October!" Ryder yelled as the two stood in the living room, arguing. It had started out as a calm conversation, but had taken a bad turn, leaving both of them angry and fighting. "You're always bothering me like this!"

October scoffed. "Like I have a choice! You never listen to anything I say and I always have to repeat myself, or else you'd never get it through your head! Not that you do anyways,"

Ryder nodded his head, having expected her response. "Yep, because I'm the worst and you're the queen of the fucking world, huh?"

"I.. what?" October frowned, rather confused by this turn. "What the hell are you talking about?"

He glared at her. "You've been better than me! You've always thought that!" Ryder accused. "Everybody loves you. Everybody cares about you. No one else cares how I'm really feeling, as long as I'm not worrying you!"

"That's not true." She quieted down, the mood having shifted dramatically in her mind. "We all love you a lot, Ryder. Everybody cares about you too. Why would you think that?"

"Because all anyone thinks about when they see us is how amazing you are. I don't even begin to compare in anyone's mind," Ryder sneered. "All they talk about it you. Alice came up to me today and told me that I was worrying you, and that's why I should just become fixed all of a sudden. You're the perfect person to everyone. You can handle anything, but I can't."

"The way we handle our problems has nothing to do with what other people think of us," October replied. "Where is this coming from?"

Ryder looked down guiltily. "Everything is piling on me and I'm tired of keeping locked up from the world. I'm sick of everything." He paused, before yelling. "Everything is just bullshit!"

"Okay well, let's handle it, then." October said, trying to soothe him. "I will do anything you need, alright? I just want you to be okay."

"Don't do that." He growled through gritted teeth. "Don't. Every time you try to make feel better, it makes me feel worse because that means I'm really hurting you and I don't have it in me to deal with that pain. The pain that I'm hurting my only family - the only person that I still love and care about in the midst of all of this crap."

October took a deep breath. "You're not hurting me, okay? I promise," She reached out and hesitantly put a comforting hand on his shoulder. It remained for a moment before it was shrugged off. "I love you too. I'm just trying to show you that I care about you. I won't make you do anything you don't want to; I only want you to be better."

Ryder scowled. "I'm not gonna be better! Don't you get it, October! I'm a mess! I'm a broken piece of crap and I'm not getting better! The only thing I'm living for is you!"

"And I'm here for you." She said, calmly. "I don't want anything to happen to you, ever. I don't care how broken you are - I will always try to put you back together, I promise. I may not know what it feels like, but I will listen to whatever you have to say."

He stared at her, shocked for a moment before he got angry again. "Stop being nice to me!" He exclaimed. "Stop!" Just at that moment, their lockets heated up, and their eyes met briefly before the two left the apartment, Ryder running ahead of October.

 ***Now***

Ryder's motorcycle hit the car and spun out hard, sending him flying off of it and onto the ground, hitting his head and knocking him unconscious. The other rangers watched him in shock for a moment, before they saw that he wasn't going to be getting up anytime soon.

"Ryder!" October screaming, using her blaster to shoot Almops, finally taking him out with an explosion, before she ran and slid to her knees beside her brother, demorphing in the process.

She turned him onto his back and stared at him, her hand hovering just inches above his body. October didn't know what to do or where to start. She looked him over, cringing at the way his leg was bent out of shape and the road burns covering his exposed arms and some of his cheek.

There was a gash freely bleeding on his head, and she knew there were probably injuries she couldn't see. Pressing her hand lightly along his ribs, October felt a few give away at her touches, and that was only one side.

Taking a deep breath to calm the fear that was growing in her chest, she tapped his cheek lightly. "Ryder?" She called, though it seemed futile with the condition he was in. "Please?"

A tear ran down her face as she pulled him close to her, holding him protectively as she turned to see the others standing there, watching in fear. "Call an ambulance. Now!"

"What about Liela?" Luca asked. "She could help."

October glared at him. "No! I want a real doctor!" She turned to Aiden. "Dial it! Now!" Aiden nodded and pulled out his phone as October buried her face in Ryder's shoulder, his head lolling on her's. "Wake up," October whispered. "Please."

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Guardians of the Galaxy:** While the rangers wait by to see if Ryder will wake up, he finds himself dreaming of a world without the rangers.

 **Next Chapter Title:** Collision Part II

 **This chapter was the start of Ryder's main character arc, and it will continue as the background for a few more chapters until he makes his breakthrough with everything. The next part will be coming really soon, within the day or so. His arc is probably my favorite out of all, besides Bella's, which will come closer to the end of the series.**

 **There's a poll on my page asking for your favorite Power Rangers: Animal Guardians ranger this time, so please go vote if you read that! It'll bring that character back for my Earth Defenders 5th anniversary team up, and Roger is currently in the lead! Guardians of the Galaxy rangers come next - I'll let you guys know when!**

 **Anyways, here are the upcoming five chapters!**

 **Ep 19: No Place Like Home -** Aiden focused chapter.

 **Ep 20: Goddess Of War -** October focused chapter.

 **Ep 21: Politician's Daughter -** Jackie focused chapter.

 **Ep 22: Fair -** Bella focused chapter.

 **Ep 23: Middle of Nowhere -** Luca focused chapter.

 **I hope you guys liked this chapter, and I'll be back with the next one soon!**

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


	18. Ep 18: Collision Part II

**Hey guys, here's the next part! I know I said I was gonna post a while ago, but I'll address that in the author's note below** **. Hope you guys like this part though!**

* * *

 **Last time on Power Rangers: Guardians of the Galaxy**

Ryder's motorcycle hit the car and spun out hard, sending him flying off of it and onto the ground, hitting his head and knocking him unconscious. The other rangers watched him in shock for a moment, before they saw that he wasn't going to be getting up anytime soon.

"Ryder!" October screaming, using her blaster to shoot Almops, finally taking him out with an explosion, before she ran and slid to her knees beside her brother, demorphing in the process.

She turned him onto his back and stared at him, her hand hovering just inches above his body. October didn't know what to do or where to start. She looked him over, cringing at the way his leg was bent out of shape and the road burns covering his exposed arms and some of his cheek.

There was a gash freely bleeding on his head, and she knew there were probably injuries she couldn't see. Pressing her hand lightly along his ribs, October felt a few give away at her touches, and that was only one side.

Taking a deep breath to calm the fear that was growing in her chest, she tapped his cheek lightly. "Ryder?" She called, though it seemed futile with the condition he was in. "Please?"

A tear ran down her face as she pulled him close to her, holding him protectively as she turned to see the others standing there, watching in fear. "Call an ambulance. Now!"

"What about Liela?" Luca asked. "She could help."

October glared at him. "No! I want a real doctor!" She turned to Aiden. "Dial it! Now!" Aiden nodded and pulled out his phone as October buried her face in Ryder's shoulder, his head lolling on her's. "Wake up," October whispered. "Please."

 **Now**

October sat in the back of the ambulance, watching as the paramedic rushed around, checking Ryder's vitals and such. She continued to stare at him, wondering what he was exactly doing and if she should be more concerned.

She cleared her throat lightly. "So, is he gonna be okay? Do you know?" October asked, shying away when he gave her a hard look.

"I'm trying to figure that out right now." He told her. "Can you jot down all of his information while I look him over. Normally I would wait until we got to the hospital for this, but I think he's gonna need to go into surgery."

"Wait, what?" She was taken aback. "Surgery? What for?"

He handed her a tablet with questions about patient information on it. "His leg, for starters - it's broken in a few places as far as I can see, and his hip might be dislocated. You shouldn't worry too much about that, though, it's a common injury in motorcycle accidents."

"So what should I be worried about?" October stared up at him, her hand wrapped tightly around her brother's.

The paramedic sighed. "I haven't determined if he has any internal injuries outside of broken bones, nor have I determined if he has a head injury that is enough to warrant concern." He said, though it was obvious he was getting a bit impatient with all of her questions.

October quieted down for a moment as she filled out the questions, until she felt the paramedic knock his hand lightly against hers. She looked up, frowning. "What?"

"Can you move your hand, please?" He asked her, giving her a disapproving look.

She matched his look. "I want him to know that I'm here. Can't you do that on the other hand?"

"I'm almost certain that his collarbone is fractured on this side, so no, I can't." He said sternly, gesturing to the displacement of his shoulder.

"Oh," October said, sadly. She attempted to pull her hand from Ryder's, but couldn't do it fully when his fingers clasped around hers. She gasped lightly, and he did as well, though his was in pain and he let go of her hand. "Ryder? Can you hear me?" October asked, leaning over him, the paramedic doing the same on the other side.

"Yeah," He groaned, turning his head towards her. "What happened? Why do I feel like my body is broken?" Ryder asked, breathlessly.

October cringed. "You were in an accident, but you're gonna be fine. We're on our way to the hospital now, just try not to move, okay?"

Ryder made a face. "Like I would want to," He winced in pain. "Why do you look so upset? I'm sorry."

"No, no, no, don't apologize," October shook her head. "As long as you're okay, I'm okay."

He smiled exhaustedly when she squeezed his hand. "I'm so tired."

"You..." She glanced at the paramedic before looking back at Ryder worriedly. "You just woke up."

"That's normal with a head injury," The paramedic assured her, leaning over Ryder and shining a light in his eyes, making him flinch away. "Yeah, he has a concussion - not sure how bad but he's not experiencing any severe symptoms."

"Okay, well, that's good news." October gave Ryder a soothing smile. "Just rest, and the doctors will take care of you." Ryder nodded slightly and drifted into sleep, while the paramedic continued looking him over. October looked back at the paramedic, a slightly irritated look on her face. "He was in a lot of pain. Couldn't you have given him something for it?"

The paramedic scowled. "We don't know the extent of his condition yet," He told her. "And you should be aware that his pain was actually a good sign, because that means that he can feel his injuries and we shouldn't be too worried about a spinal cord injury or something of the like that _wouldn't_ allow him to feel it." He reached over and grabbed the tablet out of her hands, which she had just finished filling out, and looked it over.

"But I..."

He cut her off. "We're pulling into the hospital, so you need to move back so we can pull him out of here and get him inside as soon as possible."

October frowned, but moved back as the ambulance came to a stop and watched as the paramedics pulled the gurney out of the back, her jumping out of the back to follow along. She rushed along with them, but so much activity was going on that she was jogging along behind them, and was eventually pulled away by an orderly when they took him through the back doors.

"Let go of me," October struggled out of his grip and shoved him away from her, straightening out her shirt in the process. "I got it - I'll wait here." She muttered, walking over to the waiting room, where the other rangers had just rushed into.

Seeing Aiden, October ran straight towards him and threw herself into his arms. He held her tightly. "He's gonna be okay. He's strong."

She buried her face in his chest. "I can't lose him, Aiden." She whispered.

Aiden kissed her forehead and sat them down, along with the others. "You won't, I promise. He's gonna be back up and running soon, okay?"

"Okay," October nodded, pulling away from him and trying to regain her composure. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom and wash up. I'll be right back; let me know if anything happens."

He squeezed her hand. "You'll be the first to know."

"Thanks," She smiled half-heartedly, and stood up, walking off without another word.

\- PRGG -

Ryder awoke next with a start, sitting up and looking around, practically panting from shock of what happened. As he sat there, he realized that he was no longer in any kind of pain, then frowning as he looked himself over and found himself completely uninjured and well. He then took in his surroundings, and was more than a bit surprised, finding himself in a different version of his childhood room.

It was the room he lived in before they moved out of their house and into the apartment, since their house was destroyed due to the constant monster fights that had occurred.

The difference between this room and his old one was the decorations - it was designed exactly like his bedroom at the apartment, which he knew his old room was not. He had gotten rid of a lot of things from his old room when they moved, and he saw just how evident that was, seeing the belongings he had in the large room around him.

He pushed himself out of bed and walked around the room carefully, feeling the objects around him to see if this was real, and he was shocked when everything he touched seemed so lifelike. He looked through his drawers and found some clothes, changing as he continued to look around.

Taking everything in, Ryder figured that it was likely that more than just his room had been restored, causing him to slowly open his door and walk down the hall, smiling softly at the memories that came with his old home.

However, it was only when he made it out into the kitchen, that his smile widened exponentially. "Mom?" He whispered, staring at her with wide eyes, not wanting the moment to end.

"Morning, honey," She said, her voice kind. She turned around, and chuckled a bit at his expression. "Why are you looking at me like that? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Ryder looked away, almost embarrassed. "Sorry, you just look great, mom. I.. feel like I haven't seen you in so long," He responded, looking up and offering her a sheepish smile.

"Aw," His mother, Moira, walked over to him and put an affectionate hand on his face. "You're so sweet. What would I do without you?"

"I think it's more the opposite," Ryder muttered as she walked back to cooking. "Where's dad? And October?" He asked, looking around.

Moira paused and turned to look back at him. "What do you mean? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I just..." He trailed off, frowning at the look on her face. "Is something wrong?"

"Don't you remember what happened?" Moira asked, her expression pained.

"No," Ryder shook his head, concern creeping into his mind. " _Did_ something happen?"

She sighed, looking like she didn't believe him. "Your father left, remember? Just after the accident."

"Accident? What accident?" Ryder swallowed hard, his worry growing.

Moira turned back to her food. "Ryder, I don't have time for this. It's not funny," She shook her head and scooted some money over to him. "Go to school please. I'm not very happy with you."

Ryder took the money carefully, a hurt look on his face. "I really don't understand."

"Go," His mother hissed, her voice stern.

With one last long look at her, Ryder turned and grabbed his backpack from the floor next to the door, pocketing the money and exiting the house.

\- PRGG -

October stood in the bathroom, clutching the sink and staring at herself in the mirror. Her face was a bit damp from running some water over it to hopefully shake herself out of the stupor she was locked into. Now, as her reflection stared back at her, all she wanted to do was break the mirror to stop seeing how disheveled she looked.

She turned around, running hands through her hair, ignoring the way her hands were shaking as she leaned against the cool tile walls. She inhaled the sterile hospital stench and cringed at how much she hated the smell.

Hearing the door open, October had the urge to turn around and see who it was, but decided against it. It was most likely someone she didn't know and she had no desire for the awkward eye contact that would surely result from an unknown person seeing her at her worst.

Just as she was about to escape into a stall to avoid the other person, a hand touched her shoulder, and October turned to discover Bella standing behind her. October looked at her as if she had never met Bella before, taking in her appearance. She didn't look much different than usual, but there was something about the energy she was giving off that was different.

"Are you scared?" October asked, her voice hushed. It was a strange sensation that she was getting, almost as if she could _feel_ the emotion coming off of Bella - her fear and, surprisingly, insecurity at their situation.

Bella raised an eyebrow in surprise and straightened up. "I'm fine. I just came to see about you," She gave her a confused look. "What made you think that?"

She shrugged, an equally confused look her face. "I don't know, I guess I just.. felt it."

"Felt it?" Bella asked, frowning. "Like an ability? A demigod one?"

October nodded. "Yeah, kind of. I've never felt that before, though."

"Alright, well, we need to save that to talk to Liela about," Bella said, changing the subject. "How are you?" She asked, her expression softening.

"Honestly?" October crossed her arms over her chest, leaning back against the wall. "I feel like everything's falling apart, and like a failure." She looked down. "You know, when our parents died, I tried to look at anything that could even remotely be good about it; me becoming a better person and my relationship with Ryder changing for the better. I've always tried to look at every bad thing as a blessing in disguise, no matter how horrible. I know that sounds crazy, but it's helped."

"That must have been very hard for you," Bella sympathized. "Having to grow up so quickly and dealing with never being able to see your parents again."

October gave her a reflective smile. "It was, but I know I'm a better person because of it, despite all of the problems that have come with it. I mean, Ryder's depressed and we're broke, and here I am trying to keep everything together. Until today, I thought I was doing a pretty good job, too. I thought Ryder and I could work through everything together, like we always have, and I was trying to get more money for us to live off of. Neither of those things were a success."

"You're broke?" Bella gasped. "Like, really?"

"Almost." October let out a humorless laugh. "I have no idea how any of this is going to play out. The only way we could keep our apartment is if we got more income somehow, but I don't know how to make that happen. Not only that, but with this accident, our insurance rates are gonna go through the roof." She sighed. "I don't blame Ryder for it, though. He didn't know that son of a bitch was gonna get back up."

Bella nodded in understanding. "Of course not."

October turned to Bella, giving her a slight smirk. "Okay, what's up with you?"

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I know this is a tough situation, but why are you being so nice? It's worrying me more than you acting normally." October teased her, though it didn't hold the same amusement that it usually did.

Bella rolled her eyes. "I'm not mean, or at least I don't try to be, I'm just defensive." She explained. "I don't get close to people very often, but I want to be with you guys. Besides, I'm not feeling like I usually do right now - not with Ryder hurt so badly."

"Really?" October raised her eyebrows in surprise, though not judgement. "I didn't realize you two were close."

"We're not, truthfully, but we were talking a while ago and he really made me feel a lot better." Bella responded. "I was so worried about you guys liking me, which has never happened before, so I decided to try to talk to him. He didn't open up too much, but he actually told me that we were friends, and that I had a place on the team, since I didn't feel like I did."

"Thank you," October told her, a genuine look on her face. "For trying to talk to him. If he called you his friend, then he definitely appreciated it.

Bella gave her a small smile. "You don't need to thank me; I did it because I actually care about you all." She paused for a moment. "When we were trapped in that dome, you were right when you said that I've never had any real friends before. I'm glad that the first few I get are you guys."

"I..." October trailed off before engulfing her in a hug, which stunned Bella at first, before she hugged back. "I'm glad you're here." October told her.

She smiled to herself slightly, before the two pulled away. "Do you want to go back out into the waiting room?"

October nodded, rubbing a hand over her face. "Yeah, I think I'm ready." She glanced at herself in the mirror for a brief moment, before exiting the bathroom with Bella.

\- PRGG -

Ryder made it to school, surprised to see it looking like it used to, instead of the new building they had, which was remodeled after being destroyed by monster attacks. He walked beside the football field, admiring the thin layer of frost that covered it in the off season.

Looking ahead of him, he saw Aiden at the top of the bleachers, laughing with Brent. He frowned, knowing that Brent had practically dropped Aiden out of his life the minute he found out he was a ranger, and it confused him as to why Aiden was being so friendly with him.

He walked up the steps of the bleacher quickly, making to approach Aiden, when, shockingly, Mel came around the bleachers and kissed Aiden deeply on the lips, him reciprocating her attraction to him.

"What the hell is going on?" Ryder asked aloud, attracting their attention. The three of them gave him uninterested looks. "Aiden, aren't you dating _someone else_?" He growled.

Aiden raised an eyebrow at him, looking bored. "What are you talking about, Adams?" He looked him over before shaking his head. "You know, I thought I told you not to talk to me off of the field."

Ryder stared at him like he was crazy. "What about October?"

"Your sister?" Aiden made a face. "Yeah, she's cute, I guess. Not the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, or anything like that, but she's not bad. Why?" He put his hands up before Ryder could speak further. "Actually, I don't wanna know. You're about as weak off the team as you are on. Come on, guys." He, Brent, and Mel stood up, walking away from him before he could get another word in.

Standing in that spot for a moment to gather his thoughts, he was startled when someone suddenly put their hands on his shoulder. "Hey babe!" A female, accented voice greeted him. "I missed you."

Ryder turned around to see Eliza standing before him, but she looked different. She had blonde hair and blue eyes, rather than red hair and green eyes, and her accent sounded like Luca's. He knew that the two were half-siblings, but since their father was a God, the two didn't share features and an accent. "Eliza?"

"Who else would I be, silly?" Eliza kissed him, before smiling back up at him, her hands clasping his jacket. "I'm so happy to see you. Oh, hey, are we going to our meeting tonight?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Meeting?"

Eliza chuckled. "Yeah, our church group is getting together to talk about abstinence, remember?" At his surprised look, she smirked. "Come on, you can't tell me you forgot, we both agreed to do this for our love."

Ryder cleared his throat slightly, trying to keep a distasteful look off of his face. It's not that he was opposed to the idea of abstinence or church, but he had had a sexual bond with his previous girlfriend, Mel, and had never been to church. "Umm.. I didn't forget. I'll see you there, I just have to go see someone else right now, okay?"

"Alright, I'll see you there." She kissed him on the cheek and took off in the direction she came. He touched his cheek lightly, before walking off of the bleachers and through the campus. He was trying to think of where he could find anyone else he knew.

Ahead of him, the rest of the football team was walking the opposite direction of him. He tried to greet them, but they all rolled their eyes at him and bumped past him, confusing him, as he knew he was friends with a lot of the other players.

He looked off to the side absentmindedly, and saw Luca and Alice sitting at the stage, talking about something that looked to be serious, given the looks on their faces. Not wanting to bother them, he continued walking forward, bumping into someone on accident as he did so. "I'm sorry." He said, offering his hand to help the person up, before looking down at her in confusion. "Rosemary?"

Rosemary took his hand to get up and gave him a look. "Who else would it be, Ryder? Watch where you're going," She muttered, running a hand through her auburn hair.

"I haven't seen you in a long time," Ryder looked her up and down. "Last time I saw you, your cousin was dating my sister."

She chuckled lightly. "It hasn't been that long. After Gray and I decided to settle back down here, they got back together, remember? Up until just before the accident, at least - he has a new girlfriend now." She smiled sweetly to herself. "So do I."

Ryder raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You have a girlfriend? I didn't know you liked girls."

"Always have," Rosemary nudged him. "I mean, I like guys too, but not nearly as much."

He nodded slowly, looking around. "So, who are you dating?"

"Bella," Rosemary waved past him, and Ryder whirled around to see Bella standing against a nearby wall, waiting for Rosemary. "You know, she's been in the closet for so long, so I'm glad she could finally come out for me. It means a lot, especially considering she hasn't down it for any other girls."

"Bella's a lesbian?" Ryder asked, shocked. He had nothing against that, of course, and wasn't judging her, but he was rather surprised to gather this information. He had always just imagined she was straight, given that she had dated guys in the past, though, now that he knew this, it was obvious that she was using that to cover herself up. "Wow. I'm happy for you guys," Ryder told Rosemary, looking back at her with a genuine smile.

"Thank you," She smiled back at him. "Now, if you'll excuse me..."

Ryder stopped her quickly. "Wait, you said that Grayson is here?"

"Yeah, why?" Rosemary smirked. "You looking for him?"

He nodded. "Well, sort of, but I was also wondering who his new girlfriend is. I'm just curious."

Rosemary scoffed. "Curious, my ass. You want to see who he got after your sister," She thought for a moment. "I think he's dating a girl named Mari, but I'm not sure. Is that it?" Rosemary gestured to Bella, and Ryder nodded, a bit stunned.

"Mari's alive?" He whispered to himself, before quickly walking towards the tables he remembered that Mari used to hang out at.

Making his way around the campus, he finally made it over to the area, and looked straight ahead of him, his breath leaving him faster than he could ever remember. Sitting at a table before him was Mari, with Grayson, Rosemary's cousin. The two were talking and laughing, Mari seeming rather happy. He was about to walk over to them, when someone stopped him and spun him around. He looked at the person, only to find Jackie in front of him.

"What do you think you're doing?" She asked, seeming completely different. She was done up rather nicely, and seemed much more feminine that Jackie usually did. "You know Marissa has a boyfriend right? Or are you just blind?"

He made a face at her. As he walked through this world, it became more clear that this was a world without monsters and demigods, making Jackie's behavior more understandable to him, and made him realize that a lot of her personality traits were heavily attributed to her godly heritage. "I know that. I was going to talk to both of them. I'm not interested in her - we're old friends."

Jackie shook her head, disbelieving of his statement. "Yeah, sure. That's why you were looking at her like that."

Ryder rolled his eyes. "I was looking at her like that because I haven't seen her in a long time. Trust me, she's like a sister to me," He looked at Mari before turning back to Jackie. "Look, I don't have time for this. I have to get figure out what's going on, so..." He walked quickly away from her and sat down at Mari and Grayson's table, smiling at them. "Hey guys, been a long time."

Grayson stared at him, a bit of awkwardness in his expression. "Ryder, what brings you here?"

"You dated my sister before this accident that happened." Ryder said bluntly, seeing his expression change, though Ryder was trying to look at Mari more, drinking in this vision of her as he knew he may never get this moment back. "No one will tell me what's going on, so I wanna know. Where's my sister?"

"Umm..." Grayson chuckled slowly, wondering if Ryder was joking. By the look on his face, he quickly realized that wasn't true, and frowned. "What do you mean?"

Ryder looked at him like he was stupid. "Did you not hear me? Where's my sister?" He turned to Mari. "Do you know?"

"Grayson," Mari cleared her throat lightly, gesturing for him to leave. Grayson looked at bit chagrined at this, but gathered his things and left, leaving Mari and Ryder alone. "So, you've gotten here, haven't you?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I don't even know where _here_ is," Ryder muttered, leaning across the table. "Wait, do you know something about this? Are you.. the real Mari? Like, her ghost?"

Mari rolled her eyes. "No, Ryder, I'm not." She sighed. "I'm a part of your subconscious. All of this, actually, is part of your subconscious. I'm just the self-aware part."

"Why did I imagine you as the self-aware part of me?"

She shrugged. "Maybe because I'm dead." Mari responded. "Maybe because the accident is a way for you to escape everything that has happened, regardless of the fact that you didn't mean for this to happen."

Ryder didn't understand all that much, but continued anyways. "So what does all of this mean?"

Mari made a face. "Basically, it's up to you when you want to wake up or not. You can live inside your mind in this fantasy where your mother and I are alive, or you can wake up and go back to the real world."

"Why would I ever want to go back, then?" Ryder asked, crossing his arms. "It doesn't seem that bad to be here."

She stood up, gesturing for him to follow her. "I'll show you." Mari held her hand out, and he took it, letting her lead the way.

\- PRGG -

While the other rangers were inside in the waiting room, Luca and Alice sat outside in the garden nearby, Alice having asked to see him in private. They sat on the bench in silent for a few moments, before Alice eventually broke the silence.

"This accident has made me get to thinking," Alice admitted, looking down. "It's scary how fast your live can change or be completely turned around. I mean, god knows what's going to happen to Ryder, and if something does, what's October gonna do? And..."

Luca put a hand on her shoulder. "It's gonna be okay, I promise."

She turned to look at him. "You're always here for me, and it almost feels like you've always been. You made a mistake." Alice reminded him. "But it was a mistake, and you have owned up to it."

He nodded. "Always. I'll never deny that I hurt you, and I'm so sorry."

"I know you are." Alice smiled, taking his hand gently. "Which is why I want to get back together, if that's okay with you. Life's too short to make me loose you over something that I know you regret, just because I won't forgive you, so I am forgiving you and I want things to go back to the way they were, before any of this happened."

"Really?" Luca smiled back at her, holding her hand. "Are you sure?"

Alice squeezed his hand. "I'm positive." She let go of his hand and threw herself into his arms for a tight hug, something she needed after everything going on. Luca held her, rubbing her back soothingly.

Meanwhile, October was inside, sitting in a chair next to Ryder's hospital bed, who's room she had been led into by a nurse. The doctor had arrived a moment later to ask questions about Ryder's health and information, though October was getting a bit fed up with his attitude.

"So, he has diabetes.. type two," The doctor looked at Ryder, who lay unconscious in the bed. He was hooked up to a flurry of machines, and had a nasal cannula and IV drips. "He doesn't seem like a candidate to be at risk for that disease."

October rolled her eyes, as she had heard this before. "I know that, but it's hereditary. Our mother had it, as did many other people in her family. It came on just before he was a teenager, and yes, I'm sure it's type two."

The doctor wrote something down, before continuing. "I notice here that you didn't write down your parents' names. I assume you're 18 or so, but he is not, so I'll need your parents here."

She sighed. "I'm his legal guardian - our parents are dead. Can we get back to Ryder, now?"

"I see," The doctor said, a bit awkwardly. "You wrote down that he has a 'weak immune system' here, and I'm trying to figure out what exactly you mean and why you wrote it."

October raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure you know what a weak immune system is. Ryder was born premature and used to get sick very easily, so I wanted to make sure you knew that so you didn't let get sick while he's in here. I mean, he doesn't get sick _as_ easy anymore, but regardless." She looked around. "I'm glad you got him into a private room, though. That makes things easier."

"I had to, considering that he's a ranger and you six are rather.. famous," The doctor responded, though he seemed displeased. "Now, his injuries are fairly common for someone in a motorcycle accident, and mostly occurred on his left side. His left leg was fractured in three spots, and his hip was slightly dislocated, though that should recover far faster than the rest of his leg. His collarbone was fractured on his left side as well, though he luckily didn't need surgical repair."

She nodded. "Okay, so he's gonna be okay?"

The doctor made a face. "I didn't finish. He has a minor concussion, which he's very lucky isn't any worse, and has road burns on his face and arms. A few ribs were cracked as well, but, yes, besides that, I believe he should be alright. He's sleeping right now, though he is on pain killers that have a slight sedation affect to them, so he may remain asleep for a while longer, and will be a bit groggy when he wakes up."

"Alright, thank you," She gave the doctor a quick smile as he left, before watching the door until a moment later, when Aiden quietly made his way in. "Sorry it took so long, the doctor was asking a ton of questions."

Aiden shrugged, as he didn't mind waiting all that much. He looked at Ryder, taking in the state he was in. "How is he?"

October looked back at her brother, reaching out and squeezing his hand lightly. "He's gonna be okay, the doctor says he's just resting." She pulled her hand away from Ryder and turned back to Aiden, who had sat in a chair next to her. "How are you?"

He chuckled. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

"I'm fine." She assured him. "Ryder's gonna be okay, and that's all that matters to make me feel better. Besides, I've been worried about you - Alice told me she saw you working at Target."

Aiden smirked. "You're worried because I have a job? Besides, when did she even get time to tell you that?"

"While we were waiting," October responded. "She thought it was funny, but she also said you were acting weird, though she wouldn't specify what she meant by that. I assume she didn't want to worry me more, but I'm already worried. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, of course," Aiden nodded, acting nonchalant.

October was about to let him off the hook, but she got the same strange sensation she had when she was with Bella, though she was getting a different energy from Aiden. He seemed nervous, and it was obviously from what they were talking about. "Really?" She frowned, wanting him to tell her himself. "I feel like there's something happening with you."

Aiden nudged her lightly. "Don't worry about me. I've got some.. stuff going on right now, but I'm working through it. I will tell you if something happens, okay? I promise." He kissed her as he stood up. "Now, how about some free hospital coffee? I can get some for us."

"That would be great, thank you." She smiled gratefully at him. "I need something to keep me going right now. Today has been crazy."

He smiled back at her. "Well then, I'll be right back." Aiden told her as he exited the room and walked down the hall in search of coffee.

\- PRGG -

Ryder followed Mari through the halls of the hospital, frowning at his surroundings. He looked to Mari, who seemed very focused on getting him to where he was supposed to be.

"Why are you taking me here?" Ryder asked. "Are you taking me here so I can see my unconscious body and jump back into it like in the movies?"

Mari scoffed. "Please," She rolled her eyes. "I've brought you here to show you why you need to go back, for more reasons than the fact that you'll be pulled out of here unwillingly regardless."

He stopped suddenly and pulled his arm from her grip, waiting until she turned to face him. "Wait, I'm going to wake up regardless of what happens? Then why does any of this even matter?"

She crossed her arms. "I want you to wake up _willingly_ ," Mari responded. "You've been so depressed since I've died."

"I've had depression for a long time, Mari." Ryder told her, his expression sad. "Considering that you're just my imagination, you should know this. I've always had a bit of it here and there, no matter how great my life was going."

Mari sighed. "But not like this. You've practically lost your will to live, all because of a _friend_ dying. You've lost much more. What makes this more intense for you to feel this way?"

"It was a lot of things. I guess, for starters, I saw myself in you," He said. "I saw the pain in your eyes.. I saw how little you really thought of yourself. I wanted to talk to you about it so many times, and I didn't. Not only that, but it made me realize how dangerous all of this is. I mean, I already knew that, but it was so clear to me what I stand to lose."

"Everyone you love," Mari nodded. "Including your sister." She saw the look on his face as she said that, the anger flaring in his eyes. "Come on," She pulled him into a room with a single bed, and on the bed was October, laying motionless. "This is what I wanted to show you."

"October?" He whispered quietly, blinking rapidly as if she would disappear when he did so. "No, no, no, no, no." He shook his head, moving forward to touch October's shoulder, but she didn't move. "October?" He shook her lightly. "Please?" Ryder turned back to Mari, furious. "What the hell is this?!" He demanded, standing protectively next to his sister.

Mari looked back at him, unfazed by his anger. "Right now, in the real world, you're the one lying in that bed," She told him, waiting for his confused look. "That trip in the ambulance wasn't for nothing. You were injured on your motorcycle, and October - the real October - is waiting for you to wake up."

"I..." Ryder trailed off, looking between his sister and Mari. "Is she okay?"

She nodded. "Yes, but she's very worried about you, and has been for a while."

He sighed, slumping down into a nearby chair. "I know she has, and I haven't been trying to work with her. She's been a good sister, always, and I'm just a totally crappy brother."

Mari gave him a disapproving look. "You need to stop that. October loves you, and thinks you're a great brother."

"You know, if you're my subconscious, then how do you know more than I do?" Ryder frowned suspiciously up at Mari.

She looked down guiltily. "I have to be completely honest with you - it's more than that. Janus, a God, is looking into the future for the others, and because you're dreaming, some of his visions are being placed upon you. I'm not particularly sure what's true and what's your imagination, but some of what you've seen here is more than simply your mind."

"So, is this going to happen to..." He gestured to October, but Mari cut him off.

"I'm not sure." Mari told him truthfully. "We will see within time. For now, you should decide if you're gonna go back willingly or not, because we don't have much time to discuss this." Before he spoke, she stopped him. "Before you decide, don't do this for the others. If you truly want to go back on your own right now, then do it."

Ryder shook his head at her. "You think I'm just going to decide to feel better and do it?"

"It'll take time." She agreed. "But you'll be making the first step here."

He looked her over, and sighed. "I'll miss you, Mari, even if you're not the real one. This is probably the last time I'm ever gonna see you, huh?"

Mari shrugged. "I hope not."

Ryder chuckled lightly. "Me too." He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. As he did so, he felt completely different. His eyes felt heavy, his body hurt, he could feel the bed he was laying in, and he could hear talking nearby.

Turning towards the source of the voices, he tried to force himself to open his eyes. He tried to do so once, but it didn't work the first time. As he tried to do so again, he felt a hand touch his face lightly and he could hear a female voice talking to him.

He breathed out a small sigh of relief, "October," He attempted to say, though it came out as a raspy whisper.

"Yeah, it's me," Ryder heard her laugh happily. "Can you open your eyes?" She asked, and he forced himself to do so at her encouragement, looking up to see October standing over him, smiling in utter relief. "Oh my God, I'm so happy to see you." October whispered to him, kissing his forehead and looking him in the eyes. "I missed you, little brother."

Ryder gave her a lopsided smile. "I missed you too," He said, before noticing a figure moving around behind October. He peered past her to see Aiden standing awkwardly in the corner of the room, watching the exchange. "You brought your boyfriend to the party too, huh?" As he said this, October and Aiden made eye contact, and Aiden quietly stepped out into the hallway to wait for her.

October chuckled, sitting on the side of Ryder's bed and turning back to him. "Well, he did bring me free coffee." She looked him over, taking his hand in her own. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired and beat up," Ryder muttered, nestling into the pillows behind him. "And.. depressed." He admitted, looking up at her. "I know I've been hard to work with lately, but I'm gonna try. I don't wanna feel like this anymore." He said, exhaustedly.

She nodded in understanding, "I'll do anything I can. Right now, you just focus on getting back your feet, alright?" October saw the tired loo on his face. "Rest, okay? I'm gonna go tell the others that you're up, and I'll be right back, okay?"

"Okay," He said, but held onto her hand as she tried to stand. She turned back to him questioningly. "Thanks for being a good big sister, October. I mean it."

"Don't thank me." October squeezed his hand before they let go. "I wouldn't have it any other way. Besides, you're a pretty good brother, too." She smiled at him as he closed his eyes. She waited for a few moments until he was asleep, before quietly leaving herself.

\- PRGG -

On Mount Olympus, Janus stood before a whole group of the Gods, including all of the rangers' parents - Jupiter, Venus, Mars, Neptune, Ceres, Minerva, and Vesta - as well as some other Gods and Goddess in Mercury, Pluto, Vulcan, Apollo, Juno, Diana, Bellona, and Trivia.

Janus stood in front of them, two halves of a while being. Because he saw the past and future, he had two halves to him, and generally manifested as male identical twins. One half of him stepped forward, being Future Janus.

"I have deeply troubling news, which is why I have called you all here today." Future Janus told them, looking amongst his peers. "I would have called all of the Gods and Goddesses to this meeting, but we are the only ones with coins capable of giving the rangers power."

Jupiter nodded. "What is the news, Janus?"

He sighed. "I have looked both into the past and into the future.. the future is changing." He announced, causing the Gods and Goddesses to all look at each other and speak in alarm. "Earlier, the green ranger was in an accident that was never supposed to happen."

Minerva quieted down the chattered that was occurring with the others. "The future always changes, and rather rapidly. What makes this different than most times?"

"Not only is the future changing, but the prophecy is as well." Future Janus said, instantly making everyone turn to him and get silent. "As of this moment, I can no longer see the end result of the battle between Saturn and the rangers. It was always very clear that the rangers would be successful if everything came to be, but it's changed to a point where I am unaware of the fate of anything, whether it be Earth, humanity, Saturn, or the rangers."

Vesta swallowed hard, "But, I thought that the prophecy said that for everything to come together, one of the steps was my daughter getting defeated in battle, which she was. That was an important step."

"No," Future Janus shook his head. "That was only important because Liela had chosen the wrong yellow ranger. Marissa was meant to be an ally of the rangers, but when she became one, it was only necessary for her to get defeated to allow Isabella to become a ranger."

"That means that the prophecy has been changing since the beginning," Ceres pointed out. "How is this possible?"

Past Janus stepped forward to join his other half. "Saturn is the God of time, so he must be changing it. If all of this has changed, then who knows what will truly happen?"

Vulcan cleared his throat, "Well, thankfully Marissa made her sacrifice for us. Hopefully, since it was essential, this means things will start changing for the better."

"Speaking of which," Vesta turned to look at Mercury, who was standing on the opposite side of her. "Did you bring my daughter's soul to her proper afterlife?"

Mercury frowned. "I never got Mari's soul," He turned to Pluto. "Did you?"

Pluto shook his head, making a face. "Unfortunately, I did not." He responded. "I would have surely shown her to Elysium myself and offered her the chance for her soul to be reborn, as many others before her."

"Then where would she be?" Vesta asked, growing slightly angry.

"It's possible that Saturn took her to Tartarus before she could make it to the Underworld," Pluto explained, making the others Gods get agitated. "That is possibly where things started to change in the prophecy."

Past Janus nodded. "I believe you're correct."

"So what does this mean?" Juno asked, crossing her arms.

Future Janus looked up at her. "It means that, given how rapidly the prophecy changed, it's possible the rangers will not make it through this and we will fall."

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Guardians of the Galaxy:** Aiden struggles with living in his car and being homeless, so Alice and Jackie decide to intervene, involving Bella in their task, who's trying to gain new power to fight a Hydra.

 **Next chapter title:** No Place Like Home

 **I should start by addressing my lateness, which is often a constant. I have decided to stop giving you guys excuses as to why I'm late, since I always feel like I'm justifying myself, especially when the reason is simple and easily fixable (just an example, not referring to now). This chapter is the last time I do so, as the reasons were a glitch on the website for the first week or so of May, and the end of the school year for me. Just understand that life gets in the way of my writing sometimes, so I'm sorry for my lateness in the future.**

 **Also, as addressed in Ryder dream sequence of sorts, some of what he experienced was Janus' visions of the future, so some of his dream is foreshadowing of the future, while others were just his imagination. Let me know in the reviews if you think you know what was truth and what wasn't!**

 **Oh, and in the last part, I introduced a lot of Gods and Goddesses at once, as well as a new problem. I figured I should just let you guys know that this will be touched upon again and you will get to know more about the situation and the individual Gods and Goddesses when their time comes.**

 **Anyways, here are the upcoming five chapters!**

 **Ep 19: No Place Like Home -** Aiden focused chapter.

 **Ep 20: Goddess Of War -** October focused chapter.

 **Ep 21: Politician's Daughter -** Jackie focused chapter.

 **Ep 22: Fair -** Bella focused chapter.

 **Ep 23: Middle of Nowhere -** Luca focused chapter.

 **I hope you guys liked this chapter, and I'll be back with the next one soon!**

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


	19. Ep 19: No Place Like Home

Aiden was shifting uncomfortably in the front seat of his car, having parked out on the street for the night to sleep. He had a bit of a frustrated look on his face, despite his eyes being closed, and his arms were crossed against his chest to keep him warm.

He sighed and was about to sit up to turn on the heater, since it was getting cold, when a tap on his window startled him. He opened his eyes and looked out of the window to see a police officer shining a flashlight through his window, making him squint against the light.

Leaning forward, he rolled down the window and poked his head slightly out of it as the officer put his flashlight down. "Yeah? Is something wrong?" Aiden asked, flashing him an awkward smile.

The officer crossed his arms. "Kid, you can't sleep here. There's no parking after 10 pm."

"Oh, I didn't realize," Aiden muttered, looking at the sidewalk to see if there was a sign around. "Sorry, I'll move."

"Why don't you just go home? I bet your parents are waiting up for you," The officer put his hands on his hips, looking Aiden over. "You know, you look really familiar. What's your name?"

Aiden frowned a bit, "Aiden Miller, the red ranger," He showed him his locket. "And I'm actually 18, so I don't live with my parents anymore."

"Look, Aiden," The officer said. "Even if you're 18, you don't have to move out right away. I know you may want your freedom, but living in your car isn't worth it. I'd say you should go back home and see if you can compromise with your parents."

"I..." Aiden trailed off, not wanting to sit around and explain his whole life story to this officer, and instead nodded at his words. "Yeah, thanks man. I'll go."

The officer nodded once at him and went back to his car, while Aiden turned his keys to start his truck. Aiden sighed as he did so, before driving off in search of another place to park so he could finally get some rest.

 **\- Cue Opening 2 -**

Early the next morning, October walked through the halls of the hospital to get to Ryder's room. It had been about a week since the accident, and October had been coming in as early as she possibly could every morning, as well as whenever she didn't have school. She was grateful that she didn't have to worry too much about work, since Fred was a close family friend and was giving her paid time off to handle what happened.

She was also glad that today was the day Ryder was finally getting out to come home, though it wasn't until later on when his doctor was able to sign him out.

October knocked lightly on the door frame, making Ryder look up at her from his bed. He was recovering well, though he was being a bit more quiet than usual. October had asked him about it, and he told her about the dream he had and how he was still thinking about a lot of things. Luckily, it seemed that he was recovering more from his depression everyday as well.

"Hey," She said softly, smiling at him. He was sitting up in his bed, eating breakfast. "Anything good?" She asked, gesturing to it.

He rolled his eyes. "No, it's hospital food," He smirked slightly. "It's never good."

She chuckled. "Yeah, the free coffee isn't very good either," October told him, holding up a cup to show him.

"There's a reason it's free," Ryder pointed out. He looked towards the door, before back at her. "No boyfriend with you today, huh?" He teased her.

October blushed, nudging him lightly. "Hey, Aiden was only here at first to keep me company. Now, you're enough to keep me company, but if you want another visitor, I could always call someone up."

"I'm okay without that," Ryder muttered, picking at his food with his plastic fork. "I don't think I'm up for many visitors."

"Are you okay?" October asked, frowning in concern. "Are you in pain or something?"

"No, it's not like that; I feel fine." Ryder shrugged a bit. "Just.. thinking, I guess. You know what I mean, right?"

She nodded immediately. "Yeah, definitely. I hope you don't mind, but Alice is coming over after I get back to the house. She wants to make sure we're doing okay - is that alright, or do you want me to tell her another day would be better?"

"It's alright," Ryder assured her, stopping her before she could pull her phone out to text her best friend. "Alice is fine. I'm used to her, it was more of the others I was thinking of." He saw the look on October's face, and continued. "Not that I don't like them or anything, I've just gotten used to Alice always being around our house, while the others are more of a here and there appearance, besides Aiden. He's over like every other day," He muttered, shooting her an amused look. "I wonder why."

October laughed lightly. "Well, he _is_ my boyfriend,"

Ryder nodded, "I know, obviously." He looked down for a moment, before looking back at her. "He's lucky to have you."

"Thanks, Ryder," October smiled sweetly, thinking of her boyfriend. "I'm lucky to have him too, he's a good guy."

He smiled slightly. "Yeah, he is." The two made eye contact, October obviously stunned that Ryder was talking highly of Aiden, in any light. "You two are good for each other, really. He.. can come over anytime, like Alice."

"Really?" October leaned forward, a touched look on her face. "You don't have to..."

"I'm not doing anything extra, October." Ryder looked down again, this time a bit guiltily. "I was unfair to him, even after he proved himself time and time again. I guess I was just being overprotective, because I was worried he would do something wrong to you, but he hasn't. The next time I talk to him, I'm gonna apologize." She opened her mouth to respond, but Ryder cut her off. "I know, I don't _have_ to. I want to."

October took his hand and squeezed it lovingly. "That means a lot to me, thank you." She looked him over. "I'm so glad you're starting to feel better. I'll be there every step of the way for you, okay?"

"Definitely," Ryder squeezed her hand back, giving her a smile.

\- PRGG -

Jackie and Bella were hanging out at a small cafe, drinking coffee and talking. It was Saturday and, although the two had been hanging out practically all week, they decided to get together to hang out on the weekend as well.

The two were quite different in personality, Bella was sure of that, which what was so shocking given that they got along so well. She found that Jackie was one of the best friends she had, besides October, and possibly Ryder, though she wasn't too sure about that. Jackie, on the other hand, always tried to hang out with Bella specifically, and Bella tried to do the same.

They just got along really well. It may have shocked Bella to figure this out, but she definitely didn't have a problem with it. In all honesty, Jackie was basically the only person she really made an effort to spend time with. Not that she didn't try to do so with the other rangers, but definitely not as much.

Jackie took a sip of her coffee and observed Bella. "You seem entranced in thought."

"Yeah," Bella nodded. "Just thinking about how glad I am to have a good friend on the team."

"Who?" Jackie asked, oblivious. Most people probably would've been offended by her confusion, but Bella knew better. She knew Jackie wasn't trying to hurt her feelings, it was just because Jackie, as Minerva's daughter, had a hard time connecting with her emotions. Her thoughts were overruled by logic, and it crowded her emotional response.

Bella smiled, "You." She responded, watching for Jackie's reaction. The girl looked up in slight surprise, but otherwise didn't have too much of a response to it. "You're the one I hang out with the most, and I haven't just been doing that for no reason." She explained.

Jackie nodded in understanding. "I see. Thank you, Bella, I consider you a good friend as well. I do happen to get along with you the best out of all of the others, surprisingly enough."

"Surprisingly enough?" Bella chuckled.

"Yes," Jackie informed her. "I may not be very emotionally or socially intelligent, but I am aware that I am something of a social outcast. I am also aware that you are very well known for being highly sociable, although most regard you as being rude as well."

"And what do you think?"

Jackie shook her head. "I do not know where they get their information from, as you are not rude to me."

"I can be rude, sometimes," Bella admitted. "But it's nice to know you don't think so. I've been trying to keep myself in check lately. Not that anyone like Aiden can accept that, but I'm just happy that October, Ryder, and, I hope, Luca do."

Jackie sipped her coffee again. "Aiden is dealing with his own problems, which I hear can affect one's actions, not sure how though..."

Bella frowned. "Like what?"

She looked up from her coffee. "I'm not sure I should say. I was told not to say anything, though I suppose that may be unimportant now that Alice knows as well."

"How do either of you know anything about.. whatever this is?" Bella asked.

Jackie shrugged. "I saw him, as did Alice. I suppose she does not know as much as I do, considering she only saw him at work, but..."

"Okay, hold on." Bella cut her off. "Tell me what you saw."

"Aiden is homeless." Jackie said, keeping her voice down so no one else heard her. "He's living in his car, and has not found a place to live in a few weeks. I can only assume he's struggling. No one else knows he's homeless, but Alice saw him at his new job, and she told October."

Bella gasped. "Seriously? Did October do anything?"

"I am not sure." Jackie told her. "But, considering he's still in his car, I assume she does not know."

"Well, maybe we should help him," Bella suggested. "You know, help him find a place, or talk to someone who can help him."

Jackie nodded. "That is..." She was cut off when an explosion rang from outside, startling them both. They looked out the window in shock to see a giant dragon like creature in the street, terrorizing the people. It had a serpentine body and six heads all coming from different necks. It opened it's mouths and made a loud _ROAR,_ that caused fire to come out of it's mouths.

The blast of sound and fire was so strong that it shattered the windows, making Bella and Jackie duck away in horror. Bella turned to her friend, "What the hell is that thing?"

"King Hydra," Jackie responded as they ducked behind a fallen table, careful not to touch any broken glass. "A many headed serpent that breathes fire and grows more heads as they are removed."

"Of course it is," Bella rolled her eyes. "Anything else I need to know?"

Jackie nodded. "We need to morph, now! It's breath and blood are poisonous!"

The two got the their feet. "Guardians, Rise up!" They called.

"Yellow Guardian!"

"White Guardian!"

After they were morphed, Jackie took in a deep breath. "With our suits on, it's breath cannot hurt us."

"What about it's blood?" Bella asked, frowning.

"It cannot poison us in the traditional sense," Jackie responded, looking down, almost awkwardly. "But, it will feel almost like acid on your flesh. Do not let it get on you."

Bella sighed. "Great. This is gonna go just great." She muttered as she pulled out her blaster and shot the Hydra from inside the coffee shop.

The serpent roared in anger and pain and whipped it's heads around to face them as they ran out into the streets. Jackie also had her blaster out, and the two shot at it continuously as it advanced on them, but it seemed to make no affect as it continued to move forward. The Hydra rammed into them with one of it's heads, knocking them down on the concrete.

"Hey!" A voice yelled from behind the Hydra. It was Luca, along with Aiden and October. The three also had their blasters out, and proceeded to shoot at the Hydra as well, having a hard time determining how to fight a creature of the Hydra's size and caliber.

It advanced on them immediately, snarling as it did so. It breathed fire out of it's many mouths, causing the other three to duck and jump out of the way to avoid it's fire. October held her hand out towards it, trying to use her power to burn it's skin. The Hydra tilted it's heads and squirmed slightly in pain, but immediately turned towards her to attack.

Before it could attack her, however, Aiden held his own hand out and struck it with lightning on one of it's six heads. The one head jolted with the electricity and fell limp, disintegrating off of it's body.

"No!" Jackie exclaimed. "Don't destroy it's heads!"

Aiden frowned. "Why?" He called back, though his question was soon answered when it's sixth head grew back, along with a seventh one. "Oh shit." He whispered, shocked.

The Hydra hardly seemed phased by his attack, and breathed fire at him. Aiden held his arms over his head to try and protect himself, but was confused when no fire came. He looked up to see a stream of water blasting back at the fire, coming from Luca, who was standing to his side. October was also standing nearby, trying to use her power to make the serpent's neck swell to stop the fire.

It didn't seem to know who to attack first, but decided for October and whacked her to the side with one of it's large heads, before turning the other way and doing the same to Luca, allowing it's fire to reach Aiden.

He gasped at the sudden he and scrambled to get away from the fire that was beginning to engulf his body. It seemed that, because of his suit, the fire wasn't hurting him like it potentially could, and he assumed he would be dead if he wasn't wearing it.

Aiden could feel the burning getting worse and quickly ducked behind a car, waiting for the Hydra to stop it's intense rampage. He could feel the metal burning and saw how it was molding under the intense burn. He soon realized something and immediately ran away from the car and across the street, just in time to see the car explode.

Bella put her hands out at nearby trees and used her power to make the branches twist and move towards the Hydra, having the branches wrap around the Hydra's necks and body. The monster roared in anger and struggled against the branches, which were made stronger by Bella's influence.

Jackie got up off the ground, seeing how Bella's power was straining her, and used her own mental abilities to try and attack the Hydra's brain. It took a moment for her to determine where the brain was, given that there were so many heads, but she finally did so and locked onto it, using a psonic blast to attempt to fry it's brain.

The Hydra noticed this almost immediately, and screeched as a result. It quickly threw itself out of the branches holding it and then disappeared as if it had never been there to begin with. Jackie's link to it's mind was instantly broken, and Bella was panting from the amount of power she exerted from her attack.

The five rangers demorphed and regrouped in the middle of the street, standing right where the Hydra was. "Okay, what the hell?" Aiden asked, looking to Jackie. "You know the most about this, so start talking."

Jackie shrugged. "I have never actually seen a Hydra in real life before, Aiden. All I know is that one of the heads - the one with it's brain, is the main head that you have to destroy to kill it. You saw how distraught it became when I linked my abilities to it."

"Okay, that sounds easier than I thought it would be," Luca pointed out. "Why didn't you just say that before?"

She shook her head. "No, it's not that easy. You have to destroy the rest of the heads first because the others would never let you near the original."

October sighed. "But, we can't destroy the rest without bringing more on ourselves."

"That's not true," Jackie told them. "If Mari were still here, she could easily destroy the other heads with her ability."

Luca made a face. "With fire?"

"Yes," Jackie nodded. "If she used her sword to cut off the head and burn the neck, the head would not be able to grow back, as the wound would be cauterized."

"So, we need to get Mari's power then," Bella asked, pulling her locket out and touching Mari's coin lightly as it rested next to her own coin.

"If you can use it, we need you to the next time that thing shows up," October told her. "I don't know if you haven't because you figure we would get mad, but we won't, especially not if we can put it to good use."

Bella looked away from the locket and back up at the others. "That's not why I haven't. I haven't because I can't. It's never worked for me." She sighed. "It's probably because I don't have Vesta's power to use with it."

"Well, that's..."

"Fine," Luca cut Aiden off before he could speak. "Look, I'll go back to the command center and look into this stuff, then I'll get back to you with it, alright?"

Jackie perked up. "I will come with you," She said, following close behind him as the two walked off in that direction.

October ran a hand through her hair. "I have to get back to the hospital. They're releasing Ryder and Alice is waiting there for me."

"I.. gotta go too," Aiden said, a bit awkwardly. "I'll come over later," He told October.

She nodded. "Of course. I'll see you then." The two kissed goodbye and began to walk off, leaving Bella to herself as she continued to think. Before she thought very hard, however, she saw the direction Aiden was walking in and decided to follow him, determined to help him with his problem.

\- PRGG -

While Jackie searched through books with Liela, Luca walked outside the command center to take a break. He inhaled deeply, taking in the salty ocean smell, before turning to look out to the sea, something which he had always liked and now knew was a result of his parentage. As he looked out there, however, he saw Eliza sitting in the sand, turned towards the ocean and seemingly lost in thought.

He hadn't talked much to his half-sister since what happened to Mari, and he had to admit, he did feel a bit bad about it. As much as he was upset about what happened, the more the thought about it, the more he couldn't really blame Eliza for it.

The others, he assumed, had a very similar feeling towards her. Luca could see it in the way they were acting towards her; it was getting much better and more friendly.

Sighing to himself, he walked down to the beach and touched her lightly on the shoulder, making her look up at him as he sat down beside her. "You okay?" He asked.

"Just thinking," She told him, before giving him a look. "I thought you guys didn't like me anymore."

"That's not true, Eliza." Luca said, shaking his head. "We were just upset for a while, but it doesn't mean we don't still care about you. Besides, it's been getting easier. I mean, I've thought so much about it and what October said about you was right. We shouldn't have blamed you, and I'm sorry. I bet the others are too."

Eliza looked up at him, before leaned towards him for a hug. "Thank you."

Luca rubbed her back and nodded. "Of course. And besides, it would suck to hate the only sibling I know about."

"Yeah, it would." She chuckled, pulling away from him. Eliza sober rather quickly and looked at the ground. "How's Ryder? I didn't wanna intrude, but I do really care about him."

He smiled. "October says he's doing great. We were allowed to see him, but we only did once for a short time. He wasn't really up for visitors."

"Oh." Eliza cringed slightly. "Was it really that bad?"

"No, not like that. I mean, yeah, he was hurt bad, but he more so didn't want to see us, rather than him being in physical pain," Luca explained. "He's still pretty down, but not in angry way, anymore. It's more just.. depressed. October says he's getting better everyday on that front, though, so I think he'll be back up and around soon."

"That's great." Eliza smiled slightly. "I was really worried about him."

Luca nudged her lightly. "Maybe when he's recovered enough, you guys could talk.. you know, about everything. See if you can come to a conclusion and maybe start over."

Eliza nodded. "I will. I've already thought about all of that. If we're gonna be in each other's lives, we gotta do something."

"I agree. You should..." He was cut off when Jackie yelled his name from back at the command center. He turned back to see her gesturing for him to come back inside. "I guess I gotta go back in. Wanna come?"

She gave him a half-hearted chuckle. "I'm gonna stay here for a little longer and clear my head. I'll be in a few."

Luca stood up and patted her on the shoulder. "Alright. See you in there."

"Definitely," Eliza forced a smile and watched him go back inside, before turning back to the ocean and looking at the waves.

\- PRGG -

Bella followed Aiden back to his car, which was parked a bit off of the road in an alleyway. She frowned she saw him lean against the car and sigh to himself, bringing his hands up to the sides of his head in frustration.

She watched him for a few moments before walking out where he could she her. When he did, he rolled his eyes. "Oh, so now you're following me?"

"I followed you to look into what Jackie told me," Bella told him. "You're homeless."

"That's not true, I'm just living in my car. Besides, maybe I like it. It's none of your business," Aiden told her coldly.

Bella put her hands on her hips. "I'm just trying to help."

"By doing what?" Aiden asked, giving her a look. "Watching me? Coming here to bother me?"

"Me coming here was to talk to you about this," Bella explained. "To try and help you so you don't have to live in your car."

"How, exactly, are you gonna help me?" He crossed his arms. "You gonna lend me some cash?"

She shook her head. "No, I was gonna tell you that I know someone who needs a roommate and would definitely not mind having you as one. Knowing you, however, you probably don't believe me."

Aiden glared at her. "Who would want a power ranger as their roommate? It would endanger them. That's why people stay away from us."

Bella sighed. "Another power ranger might."

"Like who? You? Because that would never happen." Aiden sneered.

She scowled. "No, actually I was gonna suggest someone you like a lot more, but since you're such a dick about it, maybe I won't."

Aiden shrugged. "Fine, I don't care. Your opinion doesn't matter to me."

"Yes, it does, you just don't want to admit it because you're still comparing me to Mari," Bella retorted, boldly. "All of the others stopped doing it because they know that, just because we have the same powers, doesn't mean we're the same person. And yeah, I've made my fair share of mistakes, but you can't hold those over me for the rest of my life." She huffed. "Also, I think that the minute you stop thinking that it would've been so much better to have Mari around, would be the minute that you could actually accept me as a teammate, and a friend."

He looked at the ground. "Is that it?"

Bella clenched her fists, "No, it's not. I'm not gonna let you ruin my time on this team, Aiden. Regardless of what you think of me, you are my teammate, my leader, and my friend, in _my_ eyes. I am also the yellow ranger, and I'm sorry that Mari's gone, but you treating me like this isn't going to change that. I hope you know that."

After Aiden said nothing for a few moments, Bella began to walk away, before she stopped and turned back to him. "October's broke, and if she doesn't get any kind of money soon, she and Ryder will be in trouble. I'm sure she could use a paying roommate right now." She told him, looking straight at him. She then turned away and walked out of the alley.

\- PRGG -

October and Alice sat out in the living room of October and Ryder's apartment, after getting Ryder settled into his room. He had a TV, books, and other things in there to keep him occupied, as well as a crutches to help him move around. He could only currently use one, since his collarbone was still recovering, but he still was pretty good at using it, so October decided to leave him to himself while she and Alice talked out in the living room.

Besides that, he did mention that he wanted to be alone, and October didn't mind that at all. She might've if he was worse off, but she was confident in him and let him be.

Alice took a sip of her water and peered over at October. "So, did you ever ask Aiden why he got a job?"

"Yeah, I did," October nodded. "He told me that he has some stuff going on, but not to worry too much about it."

"Really?" Alice made a face. "Well, I have to tell you something that I didn't want to tell you then, since everything was so hectic and bad at the time."

October frowned. "What? Do you know something I don't?"

"Sort of," She rubbed her arm awkwardly. "After I left Target, I saw Aiden's truck out in the parking lot as I passing by.. and it's filled to the brim with all of his belongings. When I talked to him, too, he said he got kicked out of his place."

"Are you sure?" October asked, worriedly.

"I'm sure." Alice confirmed. "I mean, he said he _sorta_ had a place to stay, but if his car is filled up like that, I assume he might be living in his car."

The pink ranger sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Damn it, Aiden. Of course he is," She muttered. "And he didn't tell me, either."

Alice shrugged. "Maybe he was just trying not to worry you."

"I know he was," October rolled her eyes. "He wanted to handle it himself, even though he probably doesn't know how."

"Well, what if he moved in here?" Alice suggested after a moment of silence. "I mean, he could pay rent, and he's your boyfriend, which.. that's just a plus," She nudged October, shooting her a smirk.

October was hesitant. "I don't know, Alice. I would really love that, but with everything going on and..."

"And what?" A voice resounded from the hallway. October and Alice looked up to see Ryder limping into the room, shooting October a look. "What's going on?"

She looked down, almost guiltily. "Aiden needs a place to stay because he got kicked out of his place."

Alice nodded. "You guys also need the money, which Aiden could offer as a roommate," She pointed out. "I mean, October even said it herself, you guys are broke."

October whipped her head towards Alice, glaring at her. "Alice!" She scolded, before turning to Ryder, who looked concerned and upset. "I was gonna tell you, I swear, but I thought I could handle it on my own."

"So you and Aiden have the same problem." Alice chuckled lightly, before being nudged by October.

Ryder sighed, shaking his head. "You guys are too much," He commented. Ryder paused for a moment, before speaking again. "I think, if it matters at all, that Aiden is your boyfriend and my.. friend, and if he's willing to pay rent or contribute in anyway, he should move in."

"Wait, really?" October was taken aback. "I mean, I know what you were saying earlier but..."

"But what? He's not bad guy, and I'd rather have him in here than someone I don't know or don't like." Ryder responded. "Besides, I'd rather have him have a job to pay for the apartment than me,"

October scoffed. "Yeah, I bet you would." She laughed, before smiling at him. "Okay, then. I think it's settled. I'll..." October was cut off when she felt her locket heat up. Ryder felt it to on his own, and looked at her as she stood up. "Hydra's back. I'll be back soon, if I don't get burned to a crisp." She muttered, before running out of the apartment.

\- PRGG -

Bella was walking around in the small area of woods behind her house, fidgeting with Mari's coin on her necklace and thinking to herself. She had waited for a long while to tell Aiden off like she did, and she was almost proud of the way she handled herself. She stood up for herself the way anyone would, and did so without being too rude about it.

As she held onto Mari's power coin, she felt her necklace heat against her fingers. She sighed, knowing how hard it would be to defeat the Hydra without the proper ability, and was about to run towards the direction of the battle when she felt a strange sensation from behind her.

Looking back, she saw a strange glow coming from the same small field that she had seen Ceres once. Bella took a deep breath and walked over there, hoping her mother was there to give her some kind of guidance.

Instead, she found a different woman sitting there, dressed in Greco-Roman attire, similarly to all Goddesses Bella had met before. She had dark skin, chocolate brown eyes, and long black hair. She was also holding a staff in hand, with a small flame coming from the top. The woman regarded Bella vaguely.

"You're a Goddess," Bella concluded, looking at her in shock. "Vesta, right? Mari's mother?"

She nodded. "Smart girl, Isabella." Vesta looked her over, her eyes landing on her neck. "You have my daughter's power coin."

Bella looked down at it, before taking it off and offering to her. "Do you want it back? I can't use it, anyways."

Vesta stood, giving her a pointed look. "You only can't use it because none of my power has allowed it to work. My demigod children can all use it because the posses my power."

"I figured," Bella continued to hold it out towards Vesta.

"But, if I were to power it myself, anyone I chose would be allowed to access it's powers," Vesta explained, reaching her hand out and putting it on top of Bella's. There was a yellow glow that went through their hands, before it died down and Vesta pulled away. "And I choose you, to help you defeat the Hydra and, in the end, Saturn."

Bella stared at the power coin in her hand, feeling the power flowing through it. "Thank you, Vesta." She said. Bella was about to say more when she looked up and found that Vesta had disappeared.

Feeling her locket still hot against her chest, she put Mari's coin back on the chain and ran in the direction of the battle. She morphed as she ran, and when she got to the battle, she found the others locked deeply in the fight with the Hydra.

The Hydra was screeching at the rangers and throwing them around like it was nothing. Luca, Jackie, and October were all on the ground and ducked behind a car, while Aiden was trying to strike all of the Hydra's heads at once with his lightning.

It continuously ducked out of the way of his strikes, and then proceeded to whack him to the side with it's head.

"Hey!" Bella yelled, attracting it's attention. "How about you fight me instead?"

She took Mari's power coin out of the impenetrable cuff on her wrist and shoved it into her morpher, which was embroidered into the symbol on the left side of her suit. Instantly, she felt a new power come over her as her suit was engulfed in flames for a brief moment.

When the flames faded, Bella's suit didn't look much different, but she certainly felt much more powerful. She pulled out her blaster, which was sleeker looking, and blasted it at one of the heads, disintegrating it immediately.

They all watched for it to grow back, even the Hydra itself, but, after a few moments of waiting, it didn't. Bella smirked, blasting the one right next to it, taking out the two the Aiden had given it after he destroyed one.

The Hydra roared in anger and advanced on her, moving out of the way of her blasts. She put her blaster back in it's holster and pulled out her sword, jumping to the side of one of it's heads.

Bella ducked under another one of it's heads, but this time she sliced clean through it with her sword, making it disintegrate and leaving it with only four heads left. It began moving erratically, clearly distressed as it was getting closer to it's demise.

Concentrating on the trees around her, Bella moved the branches out to quickly hold it down before it could try to attack her. Bella then turned towards Jackie, "Which one is the main head?"

Jackie also concentrated for a moment, trying to determine where the brain was. When she finally locked in and made a connection, she called back, "The first one on the right!"

The yellow ranger nodded back at her and gripped her sword tightly, feeling Vesta's power flow through her until her sword was completely on fire. She took a deep breath and ran at the monster, jumping up and slicing through it flesh until the main head came off and disintegrated.

It screeched loudly with its other heads before it completely disintegrated to the ground, covering the road in a black dusty substance.

"How did you do that?" October breathed out in shock as they all stood and stared at Bella.

"Vesta," Bella told her as they all demorphed. "She came to me and gave my the ability to finally use the power coin."

Luca smiled. "That's incredible!" He clapped Bella on the shoulder. "Great job, Bella."

"Thank you," She smiled back, looking at all of the others, including Aiden, who was standing a bit back. She glanced at October, giving her a knowing look. "Well, I think we gotta get going. It's getting kinda late,"

October looked back at Aiden, before giving Bella a grateful look. "Yeah, it is. See you guys tomorrow?"

Bella nodded. "Yeah, see you then."

She nudged Luca and Jackie to follow her away from the battle scene as October walked over to Aiden, her arms crossed. "So, were you ever gonna tell me if no one else did?"

"About what?" Aiden asked, trying to act like he had no idea what she was talking about.

"You know exactly what I mean," October gave him a look. "And I get why you didn't, but we're in a relationship, Aiden. We're supposed to support and help each other with these things."

Aiden sighed. "Bella told you?"

"Bella? No, Alice told me. How many other people knew?" October frowned.

"Jackie too, and she told Bella." Aiden admitted. "But only because she saw, and so did Alice. I didn't tell anyone, I swear. I was always gonna tell you first, it's just that a lot was going on."

"I know." October nodded. "By the way, I know somewhere that you can stay, if you pay some rent and stuff. I mean, if you wanted."

Aiden chuckled lightly. "Your place?" He asked, and October nodded again. "What about Ryder?"

"Honestly? He said yes before I did," October smirked, nudging him lightly. "He also told me that he thinks you're a good guy, and that we're good for each other. I'm not even joking."

He looked shocked. "Well, now I _have_ to move in," He pulled her in for a hug and kissed her on the forehead. "Thank you."

October hugged him back. "So, I'm taking this as a yes?"

"Definitely!" Aiden squeezed her tightly. "And I'll pay or do anything you want."

The two pulled away, and October patted him on the shoulder. "Calm down. First, let's go get your car and get you settled in. We'll figure it out from there."

Aiden nodded, with a confident smile. "Whatever you say," He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and the two walked off in the direction of his car.

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Guardians of the Galaxy:** When the other rangers are captured by the Laestrygonians, a tribe of cannibal giants controlled by Saturn, Bellona, the Goddess of War, comes to Earth to give October new powers to save them.

 **Next Chapter Title:** Goddess of War

 **So, Bella now has a new power up! She is the first ranger to get hers, but the others, including the future rangers, will all get their own as well over the course of the story. October is next on that one, in the next chapter, as you can see from the description. The others will be more spread out, but these two just happened to get planned together.**

 **I'm also really glad that I finally got Aiden and Ryder off to a better start, since they've always had some problems. I'm excited to start writing them as close friends, as they will become over time. It's gonna be great!**

 **Also, the next poll is not up yet, only because this series is next and it doesn't have a full team yet. As you can see below, however, the new rangers are coming in within the next five chapters, so expect the poll up sometime after that!**

 **Anyways, here are the upcoming five chapters!**

 **Ep 21: Politician's Daughter -** Jackie focused chapter.

 **Ep 22: Fair -** Bella focused chapter.

 **Ep 23: Middle of Nowhere -** Luca focused chapter.

 **Ep 24: Diamond's Shine -** New rangers! *Title with ('s) is not a typo.*

 **Ep 25: Fame Isn't Easy -** New rangers focused chapter.

 **I hope you guys liked this chapter, and I'll be back with the next one soon!**

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


	20. Ep 20: Goddess Of War

**Hey guys, here's the next one! This one is gonna go by a bit faster than the others and is mostly a filler, besides October getting her new powers. Hope you enjoy it, though!**

 **Bellona is portrayed by Caitlin Stasey**

* * *

Saturn sat impatiently in his throne, his calculated eyes observing the two large human like creatures stalk into the room, looking around with their mouth's watering. Saturn watched them with a bored expression, waiting for them to finish their task.

After a few moments, the two giants stopped in front of his throne, getting down on one knee and bowing their heads to Saturn. They stood up after a while of doing so, and looked up at him.

The two giants looked like enormous people, standing around ten feet tall, with shawls of fur resting on their broad shoulders. The man was bald-headed while the woman had long unruly hair, with extremely pale skin and large black eyes. Their lips were dry and cracked, and their teeth were all individually sharpened to a point. The two were menacing.

"You've finally arrived," Saturn drawled, looking them over lazily. "I've been expecting you."

One of the two, the man, stepped forward. "We apologize for our lateness, great Saturn, but most of our people have been killed off by many so-called 'heroes,'" He spat disgustedly. "It is only us and our daughter left of the Laestrygonians,"

"Well, you'll be happy to know that I have an opportunity for you two and your wife to destroy some heroes," Saturn smirked, leaning forward in his throne. "The new demigods, if you'd like."

"And we can have them?" The woman asked, wringing her hands together greedily.

"Oh yes," Saturn nodded. "Just as long as you make sure they'll never come back to bother anyone again. Antiphates, what do you say?"

The man licked his lips, a ferocious look crossing his face. "I would love to have the opportunity, sir."

"What about your wife?" He looked over to her for confirmation.

Antiphate's wife gave a simper. "I wish for nothing more." She turned to Antiphates. "Tonight, it seems we'll be dining on rangers."

Saturn crossed his arms, satisfied with this conclusion. He watched them mumble amongst each other, before they slowly made their way out of the room, leaving him to himself.

 **\- Cue Opening 2 -**

Bella and Jackie were going for a morning run together, chatting lightly as they jogged through the streets and over to a park, where they planned to take a break before they had to go back to their houses. They had been doing this often throughout the weeks, especially since they had gotten closer as friends.

The two continued through the park for a bit until they reached the point where they usually stopped. Jackie made it to the bench first, taking a moment to catch her breath as she waited for Bella to make there as well.

Once she did, the two began to stretch as they always did. "Good run, huh?" Bella asked, looking over at Jackie as she stretched her leg on the bench.

"It was satisfactory, yes," Jackie confirmed. "As it is everyday. I am unclear as to why you question me every time."

"Just to be nice." Bella chuckled. "It's like asking how someone is doing or something like that. Things can change with time."

Jackie nodded. "I see. That is understandable." She paused for a moment. "Did you feel the run to be satisfactory?"

Bella smiled, "I did, thank you."

The white ranger fidgeted with her hands for a bit. "Bella?"

"Yeah?" Bella looked up, noticing her friend's demeanor. "Everything okay?"

She looked almost nervous. "I am regularly told by others that I am emotionless and cold, and I do agree on a logical level, as I am Minerva's daughter - she is, of course, known to be purely logical and not emotional. I do not regularly understand others, and they often do not understand me. I have been wondering why you are different than them? There is no reason for you to believe any differently than anyone else."

"There is a very big reason for me to believe differently." Bella stood up straight, looking at her sincerely. "You're not actually like that, and I hope you don't really believe that about yourself. You may struggle with social cues and have a logical approach to things, but you are not the way they say you are. You care about others and you _do_ have emotions, even if you don't know how to express them."

"Are you positive?" Jackie asked.

Bella put a hand on her shoulder, and was pleased when Jackie didn't shrug it off. "Yes, I am. I'm not the only one who feels this way either - the others feel the same way, I'm sure."

"You're the only one that truly shows it all the time," Jackie responded. "The others are my friends and are kind, but they don't really understand like you..." She trailed off, before speaking again. "I have been told that I should thank those who are kind to me, so thank you for your friendship, Bella."

"I wouldn't change it for the world," Bella assured her.

Just as she said that, they heard a twig snap from nearby. Both girls perked up and looked off to the side, looking around for any signs of life. Surprisingly, they found that the park was completely barren, when it was usually filled with people.

The two exchanged looks and Bella gestured for Jackie to be quiet. They got into slight stances and began to slowly walk forward when a large girl jumped out at them, swinging a club.

She was about 7 feet tall with a fur shawl and sharpened teeth. The two immediately moved to grab their lockets, when she roared at them and slammed her club into the ground. The force of the club made the ground ripple like water beneath their feet, and caused Bella and Jackie to be thrown into the air and hit the ground hard.

Bella hit her head on the bench as she was thrown, and it knocked her out almost immediately. Jackie sat up in alarm at her friend limp on the ground with a head injury, and got up from the ground, glaring at the girl.

She ran forward unmorphed, throwing punches and trying to bring the large girl down to the ground, to no avail. The girl grabbed her by the neck and lifted her into the air.

"I will enjoy feasting on you tonight, little one," The girl growled, baring her teeth to Jackie.

Jackie struggled from the girl's grip, but her hand was so large and strong that she didn't really stand a chance, especially unmorphed and with Bella unconscious. She still fought, however, hoping one of the others would come soon.

Her vision began to dwindle as she continued to have her air supply cut off and her struggle died down. She made one last weak jab at the girl's face before she fell unconscious.

The girl smirked and threw Jackie over her shoulder, before doing the same to Bella and walking off with them.

\- PRGG -

Luca and Eliza were sitting on the beach, Luca practicing with his abilities on the water. Eliza, of course, couldn't use her powers anymore as Jupiter had removed her ability to do so, but she didn't mind helping her half-brother with his training.

The blue ranger used his hands to bring the water up into a geyser-like way, as well as moved it in an unnatural way that would never work without Neptune's powers. He was concentrating quite deeply on it, but he soon had a confused expression on his face and turned to Eliza, letting the water drop back down.

"Can you.. or could you, before Jupiter took your powers, sense things?" Luca asked. "Like the sound of water and other things help me know where objects and people are, even if I can't see them."

Eliza nodded. "Echolocation. It's another one of the perks of being Neptune's child,"

He raised an eyebrow in surprise. "I had no idea."

"It's a power that's hard to figure out that you have." Eliza explained. "I mean, most hardly notice they have it unless it's brought up."

"I definitely have a lot to learn," Luca sighed.

"Yes, and no," Eliza told him. "You know more than most demigods, and you're more powerful than them too. It's not just because you're a ranger, it's why you were chosen as one."

Luca smiled softly. "Thanks, for telling me that. Sometimes that's exactly what I need to hear."

"Anytime," She smiled, watching as he pulled the water up again.

In all honesty, Eliza was a bit jealous as she watched Luca use his powers - powers she knew that she would never be able to use again. She wouldn't ever say anything about it to him, but it made her yearn for a time when she was capable of the same.

She would never regret doing what she did to get her powers taken away, though she would always wish it had all worked out differently. Eliza was hardly a demigod anymore, when she was supposed to be someone to help out if needed.

Now, she couldn't do that even if she tried, and if she _did_ try, she would likely be struck down by Jupiter faster than she could attempt to harm a monster.

Losing her powers was worth the attempt to save Mari, but it was also unfair. Eliza was only trying to do what she felt was right and she didn't think that she deserved to be punished for it.

Either way, however, she was glad she got to at least try to save her friend.

"You okay?" Luca's voice cut through her thoughts, and she turned to look at him in surprise.

Eliza nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking about..." She trailed off as she saw something in the distance. "Luca, I think we may have a problem."

Luca looked behind him at the large woman stomping towards them, and stood up immediately. He reached for his locket but his arm was grabbed by the woman and he was pulled up into the air. He winced at the pain in his shoulder from the action and kicked his foot out at her chest, but it barely made a dent.

The woman flipped him over her back before flipping him forward and slamming him hard into the sand. He gasped as all of the air was forced out of his lungs and hastily tried to pull air back in. Luca quickly put his hand towards the ocean and used the water to spray her back.

She was shoved down to the ground by the force of the water, but moved out from under it and twisted Luca's hand behind his back.

Eliza immediately tried to jump into action, even if she didn't have powers anymore. She ran forward and kicked the woman in the face, but her foot was caught in her mouth instead.

"Get off of me!" Eliza exclaimed in shock, ripping her foot out of the woman mouth. When she did so, however, she found she could barely stand on it as it was bleeding heavily and felt possibly sprained.

The woman stood to full height and punched Eliza in the side of her head, making her fly back and hit the ground hard.

When Luca looked back to see if she was okay, he found her laying motionless on the ground. He growled under his breath and attempted to get back up but the woman stepped down on his back. He wheezed out a breath as he felt a few ribs snap under the pressure, until it became too much and he fell into unconsciousness as well.

After the woman was sure he was out, she hoisted Luca over her shoulder and walked away, leaving an unconscious Eliza in the sand.

\- PRGG -

Aiden was walking back to October and Ryder's apartment, where he was now renting a room. He had decided to get up early to get them some food for breakfast, and was currently going down the way back to deliver it to them as a thanks for letting him live there.

He was humming a bit to himself as he walked down the street, having been in a great mood since he woke up. Aiden figured that probably had to do with things actually going right, at least for a little while.

Even if it was only for a short time, Aiden was immensely grateful for the way things were. He had a place to live, a job, a great girlfriend, and amazing friends. For the first time in a while, he felt very hopeful for the present and the future.

Of course he knew there were still going to be attacks from Saturn, but he knew they could beat anything he threw at them. He was legitimately confident in their abilities to come through on top, and that's not something he could say often.

Insecurities were a big problem with him, and always had been. He has rarely ever been able to be confident in something he did, so for that to actually happen once in a while, Aiden wouldn't knock it down.

Confidence was actually a trait Aiden admired wholeheartedly. He saw it especially in October, which was one of the things that attracted him to her the most.

She was definitely different when they were younger - almost a whole different person, even - but she had always been confident in herself and her actions. Even back when they were in elementary or middle school, Aiden saw it in her. He knew that wasn't the only reason he was attracted to her for, there were plenty of things he could list, but that was a very big one.

Smiling to himself, he continued to walk down the street and was consumed by his thoughts. He was thrown out of said thoughts, however, when a large, blunt object hit him in the back and sent him flying to the ground.

He moaned in pain and looked behind him, seeing an extremely large man standing over him with a club in his hand.

"Great, just what I needed today," Aiden quipped, holding his hand out at the man, creating a harsh gust of wind to push him back. The man was obviously a bit affected by the strength of the wind, but not by much. "Fuck," Aiden whispered as the man reached down and lifted him up into the air.

The man looked him over. "Jupiter's son... I'll be saving you for _my_ meal."

Aiden stared in shock. "Meal?"

"Say goodnight," The man took Aiden and swung him into a nearby wall, making him smack his head and fall unconscious. The man then lifted him onto his shoulder with ease and took off, just as Aiden's phone began to ring with a call from Liela.

\- PRGG -

Mercury watched the events play out from up on Mount Olympus, shaking his head and sighing. He turned back to the grand throne room, seeing a goddess sitting elegantly behind him, her calculating eyes watching him.

She was a beautiful woman with long brown hair, brown eyes, and tan skin. She stood at a short stature, and had an outfit that seemed to combine Greco-Roman armor and a dress. While she looked elegant and regal, she was also clearly a seasoned warrior with calloused hands and a hard look on her face.

"Bellona," Mercury looked her over. "What brings you here?"

"I was wondering the same about you." Bellona told him, her eyes never leaving him.

He chuckled a bit. "I'm here because I'm worried about what Janus said. We've always had a somewhat clear picture of the future, but now its unclear. I must admit that it scares me a bit."

"Nothing should scare a god," Bellona said. "But I agree that it is troublesome. Were you watching the rangers?"

"Yes," Mercury nodded. "Four out of six were just kidnapped by the remaining three Laestrygonians."

"Those teenagers must at least try a bit harder," Bellona growled. "If they cannot handle it, they do not deserve to be the only thing between us and Saturn's reign. We cannot have him come back, Mercury."

The messenger God ran a hand through his hair. "Yes, you're right." He was silent for a moment, before speaking up again. "Vesta just gave the yellow ranger a new coin. You, I, and some of the others still have coins we haven't given up. Perhaps you should go and give the remaining ranger your coin."

Bellona raised an eyebrow, "What makes you think I would want to do that? For all I know you could be sending me to give it Mars' son, who already has the powers I possess."

Mercury smirked. "Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of Venus' daughter."

"You must be joking." Bellona rolled her eyes. "You want _me_ to give Venus' daughter - the daughter of the Goddess of love and beauty - my power coin? Forget it."

"Why not?" Mercury crossed his arms. "She's proved time and again that she's a great ranger and powerful warrior."

She stood faster than Mercury could speak any further, coming right up to him and hissing, " _I_ am a great and powerful warrior. She is practically there to be beautiful and attract love. The powers she possesses are hardly those of a true warrior." She pulled away and chuckled. "I would be surprised if any of her boyfriends really loved her or if it was just her powers."

"I think you know that's not true," Mercury scolded her. "Just because she can attract people with her beauty doesn't mean that she can create love. She can't make someone love her, although once one is intertwined, it is extremely easy to do so. Besides, those are not her only abilities."

Bellona scoffed. "Regardless, it's not going to happen."

He thought for a few second, and then spoke up. "If you gave her your coin, it would make her a better warrior and would increase your appreciation as a goddess."

"I..." Bellona trailed off and looked up at him, before sighing and nodding. "Perhaps."

Mercury gave an amused simper. "Perfect."

\- PRGG -

October burst into the command center worriedly, having gotten a call from Liela that all of the others, besides herself and Ryder, who couldn't fight yet, were missing. Eliza was also injured badly with a severe concussion.

She walked up to the infirmary door, finding it closed and locked. She walked around to the windows in front, where she saw a curtain up, preventing her from seeing Eliza or Liela.

"Damn it," October cursed under her breath, running a hand through her hair. She felt like she was practically radiating concern, but she couldn't help it with all of her friends missing and/or injured.

Not knowing what else to do, October walked outside of the command center, suddenly needing some fresh air. She paced in front of the door, only to hear a scoff from nearby. "This is pathetic." A voice said, and October turned to see Bellona standing not too far away from her.

"Who.. you're a Goddess," October said, noticing her clothing and feeling an aura wash over her - one she only got from the Gods and Goddesses. "Which one?"

"I'm Bellona, the Goddess of war," She responded. "You often hear of your brother's father, Mars, as the God of war, but you probably have never heard of me. We are not the same. I am of close relation to Mars, though."

"Okay..." October trailed off, not knowing how to approach this Goddess. After a few moments of thinking, she spoke again. "I don't know why you're here, but I know that I need some help. Can you help me?"

Bellona laughed. "So this is the pathetic demigod Mercury sent me down to assist? Pleading for help?" She shook her head. "Now I remember why I didn't want to do this."

"You may think I'm pathetic for asking for help, but sometimes you need to ask for it, whether or not you want to. I don't know what's going on with my friends and I don't know how to fight these monsters. Running in there blind would be ten times worse than asking you for help," October crossed her arms. "So are you going to or not?"

The war Goddess smirked slightly. "Do you think making a little speech will sway me?"

October shrugged, unfazed. "I don't know, but I do know that regardless if you help me or not, I will still run out there and fight for my friends. Whatever happens is up to us, and if you don't want to help me, then that blood is on your hands."

"Perhaps," Bellona nodded. "Though I'm sure it concerns you much more than it concerns me."

She rolled her eyes. "You know, if you aren't going to help me, then I'm not going to sit around and listen to you. I'm gonna save my friends without you." October brushed past her and began to walk in the direction of the place the others were being held.

"You'll never be able to without my help." Bellona called to her, making October stop in her tracks. "Not without the powers that a War god could give you. The Laestrygonians are too strong. I would say you could ask your brother, but he's obviously not recovered, given that he's not here."

"I don't care." October turned to her, passion in her eyes. "I need to at least try to save them. Like I said, if you aren't going to help, then we're done here."

"No, we're not. Here," Bellona flipped a coin out of her hand, which landed in October's with exact precision. The minute it landed in her hand, October felt a rush of power go through her, and felt stronger immediately. "Good luck. You're gonna need it."

October looked down at the coin, before looking back at Bellona. "Thank you. You won't regret this."

"I sincerely hope not." She replied, before disappearing into thin air. October took a deep breath, clutching the coin tightly in her hand, and ran towards the direction of the battle.

\- PRGG -

"So, leader," Bella drawled, holding a hand to a bloody spot on her forehead. "Any plans on how to get out of here?"

The four rangers were in a dark cave with a Laestrygonian, the daughter, keeping watch at the cave entrance. Her parents, Antiphates and his wife, were waiting further out in the quarry, holding their large clubs in hand, ready for a fight.

Aiden scowled, "No, not yet, but I'm worried about October." He looked around. "She's not here,"

"Isn't that a good thing?" Luca asked, clutching his ribs tightly.

"No," Aiden looked at him like he was crazy. "That means she's going to come to our aid."

Jackie frowned. "I do not comprehend how that is unfavorable."

"She's coming to fight the Laestrygonians alone," Aiden explained, irritatedly. "She's gonna get hurt, or worse, and there's nothing we can do about it."

"Did you ever consider that maybe she's strong enough to take them on?" Bella asked, though she knew it was a long shot. October was a great ranger, but none of the others were able to take even one of the Laestrygonians on, let alone all three.

"Unfortunately, that seems unlikely." Jackie responded, before Aiden could. "The Laestrygonians have extremely high strength and speed levels. The only ranger I could think of that would really be a match for them would be Ryder, given that he's the son of the God of war."

Luca made a face. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"He has superhuman strength and agility." Bella said, as it dawned on her. "Same as them."

The white ranger nodded. "Precisely."

Aiden sighed, "But Ryder's still out of commission, and will be for a few more weeks. October must be coming alone. I mean..." He was cut off by a yell from outside. The four inched towards the cave entrance, peering past the daughter to see October, morphed, walking towards Antiphates and his wife.

October walked up to them, looking between the two, knowing she had to focus on them before she could handle the daughter behind them.

"So, the final ranger has come to join us," Antiphates licked his lips. "I will enjoy feasting on you the most, pink ranger."

"We'll see about that."

She pulled out Bellona's power coin, holding it up for them to see before she shoved it into her morpher. A pink sand-like substance came over her suit for a moment before it faded. Like Bella, she looked the same as she did before the coin, but she certainly felt different.

In fact, as October reached down to pull her swords out, she suddenly decided against it and rather for hand-to-hand combat instead. She got into a fighting stance, and ran forward before Antiphates or his wife could even move.

The others watched as October punched Antiphates' wife hard in the chin and, surprisingly, she flew back through the air and landed on the ground hard. None of the other rangers had been able to even make a dent in damaging one of them, so this was quite a shock to them.

It also seemed to be a heavy shock to the Laestrygonians, who stared at October like she was the worst thing they had ever seen.

"What power coin was that?" Aiden asked, peering over at Jackie, who had the most knowledge of the Gods.

Jackie breathed out, still stunned. "Bellona, the Goddess of war. She highly similar to Mars, right down to the abilities she possesses."

Luca nodded, "Yeah, obviously. She has the same powers as Ryder."

"Bellona must have given it to her, like Vesta did for me." Bella said, impressed. "She may actually be able to beat them."

"She will, definitely," Jackie relayed. "Without their strength to defend them, they are poor fighters and don't have much else to help. October will easily defeat them."

They watched as October ducked under Antiphates' large fist, almost as if she knew it was coming, and swept him off of his feet. She jumped out of the way of a swing from the wife's club, and decided to pull out her sword.

In a split second decision, October's sword was out of it's sheath and was rammed straight through Antiphates' wife's chest. She howled in pain and actually was able to knock October away with her hand before falling to her knees and disintegrating, leaving the sword to fall to the floor.

October lunged for the sword before Antiphates could attempt to take it and swung it towards him, though it was surprisingly caught by the daughter, who was snarling at her. She used her strength to pull at the sword, but the daughter had a firm grip on it.

So tight, actually, that her hand was dripping blood from her grip on it. October frowned in disgust and kicked one of her feet up to catch the daughter in the stomach, shoving her back into her father and making her loose her grip on the sword.

The pink ranger was quick to act and lifted the club Antiphates' wife had dropped when she disintegrated, picking it up and swinging it as hard as she could at the daughter, who had gotten up and was rushing at her.

The daughter was hit hard in the side of her head, knocking her into the ground with such strength that it rippled beneath them and made October and Antiphates fall to the ground.

When the two looked up, the daughter was also disintegrated. Antiphates and October locked eyes as they got back to their feet, October pulling out her blaster to shoot at him, though it didn't even phase him.

She huffed and threw her blaster to the side, lunging at the final Laestrygonian and swinging his wife's club at him. It caught him in the side and sent him to the ground, but it didn't destroy him.

With some obvious effort, Antiphates climbed to his feet and faced her again.

"You'll never beat me, you know," October told him, dropping the club and picking up her sword.

Antiphates chuckled lowly. "Maybe not, but Saturn will."

October ran forward and sliced her sword straight into him, holding on it as he fell to his knees and came face to face with her. "We'll see about that," She hissed, repeating her earlier statement just before Antiphates disintegrated as well.

Breathing heavily from the fight being over, October demorphed and turned to her friends, who stumbled their way out of the cave a few yards away. She ran over to the join them, not noticing Bellona watching her for a ways away.

"She did it." Bellona nodded to herself. "Maybe there's hope for these rangers yet," She said as she watched them regroup.

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Guardians of the Galaxy:** When her father is having a dinner party for his job as a politician, Jackie struggles to figure out how to socialize with the people there, prompting her to bring Bella, Eliza, and a still damaged Ryder along. The party, however, erupts into chaos when a giant attacks nearby.

 **Next Chapter Title:** Politician's Daughter

 **So this chapter was much different than I usually do. It didn't have much of a plot to it** **, but I really just wanted to just have a chapter dedicated to October getting her new powers. I really love October as a character, especially how confident and strong I've made her to be, so I figured she deserved to have one just for her becoming even more powerful.**

 **The next chapter is titled Politician's Daughter, however I will assure you that politics have nothing to do with it. I am aware of the turmoil that politics are causing right now, so I will not be involving it as I don't want any of that turmoil on here. I have written about controversial things before, but that is one thing I am not bringing into my stories. The only reason this is titled like that is because politicians definitely try to be people pleasers, even if it doesn't always work out, and Jackie has a hard time with it. That's all, I promise you guys.**

 **No new poll is up yet, and while I assume this one will be the next one to make it up, it really just depends on which story gets to a full team first. This one is definitely in the lead, but Emergency Responders and Rainbow Fighters will be catching up very soon. I'll let you guys know which one is first when it comes!**

 **Anyways, here are the upcoming five chapters!**

 **Ep 22: Fair -** Bella focused chapter.

 **Ep 23: Middle of Nowhere -** Luca focused chapter.

 **Ep 24: Diamond's Shine -** New rangers! *Title with ('s) is not a typo.*

 **Ep 25: Fame Isn't Easy -** New rangers focused chapter.

 **Ep 26: Is Love Real? -** All focused chapter.

 **I hope you guys liked this chapter, and I'll be back with the next one soon!**

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


	21. Ep 21: Politician's Daughter

**Hey guys! I'm back with another one! Hopefully there will be more tonight and throughout the day as I'm probably writing more as you read this, so keep an eye out in case I can get those out! Oh, and contrary to the name of this chapter, no actual politics will be involved in this chapter. Hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

 _Jackie stumbled to her feet and tried to stand tall, her breath coming out in short but heavy pants. She looked around, seeing all of her friends laying prone on the ground, demorphed and injured badly._

 _Before her stood a giant, one she recognized as Enceladus. This particular giant was the one who fought Minerva in the battle between the Gods and giants for control over the cosmos._

 _She knew he had a grudge against her mother, and therefore was more interested in her than anyone else. That fact made her feel a pang of guilt in her chest at the sight of all of her friends on the ground, as he had just come after her, not them._

 _They were the ones that paid the price, however; not her. Jackie was demorphed as well, but she could still stand in front of Enceladus and fight, which is exactly what she intended to do._

 _It was a strange feeling that she was having. She was always accustomed to using logic to her full advantage, rather than let emotions cloud her judgement._

 _Right now, though, all Jackie felt was rage._

 _Rage that her friends were hurt because of her. Rage that this giant had tried to take out her mother at one point. Rage that he had come after all of them in the first place. Rage about this whole situation._

 _This anger was not something she felt totally comfortable with, but it was consuming her. She couldn't control it, and she wasn't really sure if she wanted to. When Jackie looked back at Enceladus and saw him smile at her threateningly, his sharpened teeth baring at her, she felt something snap inside._

 _All of a sudden, she felt all practicality fly out the window. It was just her and him right now, and all she wanted to do was rip his head from his body._

 _"You'll never beat me, little girl." He snarled. "Your mother could only contain me, and you're not even close to her abilities. What would ever make you believe you could actually stand against me?"  
_

 _Her blood boiled. "I will take you down, if it's the last thing I do." Jackie said lowly, just before she rushed at him._

Suddenly, Jackie bolted up in her bed, a thin layer of cold sweat covering her body. She frowned and pushed some of her messy hair from her face, looking around the room in shock that it was just a dream.

For being a dream, it had felt exactly like she had been there - like it had been real.

Taking a deep breath, he shoved her blankets off of her and began to get ready for the day, not wanting to think about it anymore. She changed her clothes and made herself look presentable, before exiting her room and walking downstairs.

In the kitchen, she found her father, Eric, sitting at the island while reading the newspaper and sipping on coffee. He was dressed professionally, and had a slightly different look to him than usual, though Jackie couldn't put her finger on what was different.

He looked up when she came into the room, watching her go to the fridge for food. "Morning, Jackie," He greeted, smiling.

"Good morning, dad," She replied, glancing briefly at him while she poured a glass of juice.

"So, you all ready for the dinner party tonight?" Eric asked, giving her a look.

Jackie turned around completely, having completely forgotten about her breakfast. "Dinner party? That's occurring tonight?"

"Yes," Her father nodded slowly. "And you're gonna be there to support me, right? Maybe you could bring a friend or a date or something," He suggested.

She smiled half-heartedly. "Of course. I will collect my friends to join me tonight. I will let you know who is attending."

Eric looked pleased. "Great." He stood from his seat, walking over to give her a kiss on the forehead. "I'll be off work early today, so I'll be here when you get back from school. Oh, and bring whoever you want - I'm always happy to meet your friends." He said goodbye before he left to go to work.

"This is not good," She leaned against the counter, feeling a bit of dread rise up in her. Jackie did truly love other people, but she had such a hard time connecting with them that she had become introverted and shy.

This meant that a dinner party was not a good place for her, at all. Especially one that was as important as this one was.

Her father worked as a politician for the city, and he often attended events where he would try to gain notoriety and votes from the people. This party was something he was hosting to impress some higher up people to support him in the upcoming reelection for city council members.

Instead of going for the same job he has, however, Eric wants to run for mayor, and has already announced his intent to campaign for it. Now, he was trying to garner attention and supporters of a higher caliber so that they would advocate for him.

That told Jackie just how important this was to him, and it scared her to think she could mess things up for him.

At first, she had been confused about why he wanted her there so badly, especially when he knew how her social skills were. He explained that it was helpful for him to have his daughter there to support him.

After that, she didn't question it further, even though she did have more things she wanted to say. Jackie considered it, but decided it wasn't in her place to do so.

She startled when her phone beeped, and took it out to see that it was just her alarm going off, letting her know that it was time to leave. Jackie usually didn't need it since she was very timely, but set it just in case.

Now, she was grateful to have it as she would be late if she hadn't been taken out of her train of thought. She walked over to the coat rack and grabbed her backpack off it, looking at her house one time before she left.

 **\- Cue Opening 2 -**

Jackie made it to school just in time to get to first period before she was late. She walked in quietly and made her way to the back of the chemistry classroom, sitting at her lab table with October and Luca.

The two had been idly chatting before she came, but looked over when she sat down. At first, no one said anything much, listening to the teacher tell them their assignment for the day.

Once he was done telling them and let them start, October spoke up. "Hey, you were almost late today," She commented, raising an eyebrow. "I've never seen that happen. Usually you're here at least ten minutes before the bell rings."

"I am aware," Jackie nodded, distractedly. "I was just thinking about this dinner party that my father wants me to attend tonight."

Luca raised an eyebrow. "A dinner party? What for?"

She sighed, "My father is running for mayor, so he would like to appeal to sponsors. He has asked me to attend in support of him, though I'm wary of doing so. I have been told that I'm not very good with people." Jackie gave them a hopeful look. "Would you like to accompany me?"

"We would, but we can't." October said apologetically. "Aiden and I are going out on a double date with Luca and Alice. I'm sorry."

"You know, I could ask Eliza if she wants to go," Luca offered. "I know you guys used to be friends on Mount Olympus and she could really love to have a friend to hang out with after everything."

"That sounds exceptional," Jackie nodded. "I've already invited Bella as well."

October smiled. "You and Bella are really good friends, aren't you?"

"Yes, that is an accurate statement." Jackie responded. "She and I have become good friends ever since we became rangers. We are together a lot."

"It's good you guys are so close," Luca commented. "I've only been here for a year or so, but I haven't really seen Bella get close to anyone in anyway since I've been here."

Jackie made a face. "I don't see why, but that's irrelevant. I don't see a lot of things others do," She shook her head, before turning to October sheepishly. "There's only one person I haven't asked yet, but I don't know if it is appropriate."

"Who...?" October frowned in confusion, before it dawned on her. She raised an eyebrow at Jackie, though not judgmentally. "You want to invite Ryder?"

She was quick to respond, "I would like any of my comrades that are free to be there. I am not inviting out a romantic notions, to ease your concern - I do not really understand the appeal of romance."

The pink ranger nodded slowly. "Alright, so what are you asking me?"

"Is he capable of attending?" Jackie asked, straightforward. "I know of his recent injuries and struggles, so I was unaware if it was proper to ask. I decided to ask you instead because you are his sister and a parental figure."

October was taken aback slightly, not really knowing how to answer her question. "Honestly, I'm not sure if he would be comfortable with it or not. I'm completely fine with him going, and I actually hope he does because it might help him get out of his mind a bit, but I don't know if he will feel the same way." She explained. "He's sensitive right now so it's a fragile situation. You can ask, just don't get too disappointed if he says no, alright?"

"I am much obliged." Jackie thanked her, before looking at her worksheet. "Shall we get to work on our experiment?"

\- PRGG -

At lunch time, Aiden was sitting at the table, waiting for October and the others to show up as he had gotten there first. He was hoping October would get to him next so they could talk a bit before everyone else showed up and their date later that night, but that didn't seem to be the case when Bella and Alice came over first.

The two sat down across from him, and Aiden inwardly cringed when he saw that Bella had a pleasant, but cautious look on her face. It was obvious she was still a bit hurt over the way he had treated her a few weeks earlier.

Since then, Bella had been nice to him, but it was clear that she was trying to remain distant. Whether that was because she wanted to make sure he knew she was upset or because she didn't want to bother him, he wasn't sure about.

To him, the only thing he did know was that he did feel bad about it and knew he should apologize.

In fact, he had known this for a while, but he hadn't done it yet. Perhaps he was just being stubborn, but he figured it was more because he wasn't sure if he really wanted to be friends with her anyways.

Despite having a while to process it, Mari's death was still a sore spot for him. He knew Bella had proven herself as the yellow ranger, and she wasn't a bad person, but he still felt wrong in a way he couldn't describe. He just knew that he would feel like he had lost the last lingering memory of Mari he had if he just accepted her like that.

Not only that, but he didn't understand why he was the only one still acting affected by it, besides Ryder, of course. He knew the others were affected by it because it was truly difficult on all of them. The thing was that they weren't acting on their feelings about it.

Ryder was the only one he could relate to on that, but even he was moving on. He had just come back to school a week and a half ago, having recovered enough to do so, and he was quiet but he was seeming to do better. Actually, Aiden was almost sure he saw him greet Eliza the other day, even though neither of them had talked to her since Mari's death.

Everyone else was moving on while he was still moping around about it. He did, if he really thought about it, knew that one reason he was still broken up about it was because he was the leader.

He felt like it was his job to protect his teammates and make sure they're capable of protecting themselves. He tried to make sure he knew every plan and watched out for his team in battle.

That was the one time he had truly failed, and he couldn't get over it. It made him feel insecure and like he wasn't a good leader.

Aiden wasn't going to tell anyone that, though. Just the thought itself was a selfish reason to be thinking of one of his close friend's death, and he hated that it was even in his mind, let alone out in the world.

"Aiden," A voice brought him out of his thoughts suddenly. He looked to see Alice raising an eyebrow at him. "You okay? You were totally spaced out."

"Yeah, I'm fine." He assured her. "I was just thinking."

She accepted his answer, nodding in response. "So, how is it over at your new home?" Alice asked after a few moments, shooting him a smirk.

"It's good," Aiden responded, returning the smirk. "October and I are great, since I know that's what you mean by that. You know, if we talk about all of this stuff now, we're not gonna have anything to talk about on the double date tonight."

Alice gave him an amused look. "Okay, well, you can tell me how else it's going over there."

He frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I know you and Ryder never really got along before now," Alice pointed out, making him rub the back of his head awkwardly. "So, how's that?"

"Honestly, it's not bad. We actually get along really well, which is kinda weird, but I obviously don't mind it. I'd rather get along with him than not," Aiden responded, shrugging casually.

"That's good, and surprising," Alice smiled. "Mostly good, though. Aren't you so glad you have a place to stay now?"

Aiden nodded. "Definitely." He looked over at Bella, who was eating her lunch in silence, and decided to finally do something. "And it was all because of you guys. You talked to October beforehand, and Bella talked to me about it. Thank you, really."

Bella looked up, surprised to be involved in the conversation. "Oh, you're welcome. I'm just glad I could help, especially if you like it there."

"I do, a lot," Aiden said, politely. "It's really great."

The red ranger watched Bella give him a small smile, thinking about how it might be time for him to move on too, before Alice began rambling on about something to the two of them.

Meanwhile, Jackie had been looking all over campus for Ryder, but wasn't able to find him. She thought briefly about giving up her search and just going with Eliza and Bella, when she saw the figure she had been looking for. He was sitting alone at the bleachers, looking out into the field contemplatively.

She took a deep breath and walked towards him. Jackie observed him as she did so, taking in how he seemed lost in thought and wondered if it was alright to bother him. She also glanced at the sling he still had from his broken collarbone, but no longer had the crutches, so that seemed like a good sign.

When she got close to him, she almost considered walking away when he broke out of his thoughts and glanced back at her.

"Hello," Jackie said awkwardly as she walked up the few steps onto and bleachers and sat next to him.

He tilted his head to the side, a barely concealed expression of amusement on his face. "Hey," He replied, as if he were waiting for her to say more. When she didn't, he continued. "What's up?"

"How are you feeling?" Jackie asked quickly, not knowing what else to say.

"I'm doing better," Ryder looked her up and down, his expression telling her he knew she was there for more than that. "How are _you_ feeling?"

Jackie cleared her throat. "I feel a tad anxious."

"Why?" He frowned. "Is something going on?"

Despite all Ryder had been through lately, he felt that he was truly getting better. He had been going to therapy more and was really working on himself. If he was honest with himself, he actually felt better than he had in a long time.

Because of this, he could tell that he was getting back to his real self - someone he thought was gone when his and October's parents died. Feeling like himself again was something Ryder enjoyed, and it was something he was going to make sure he didn't lose again.

"Not to most people," Jackie responded after a moment. "But I seem to suffer from a lack of social prowess. You see, there is a dinner party tonight at my home and I've tried to invite everyone, but only Bella and Eliza are free. I was wondering if you were as well?"

Ryder raised an eyebrow, trying to think of how comfortable he felt with that. He hadn't really been out like that since his accident, and he may be feeling much better, but he knew he was still recovering physically and mentally. "What's it for?" He decided to ask.

"My father is running for mayor, and he's trying to appeal to his sponsors," Jackie explained. "He figured it would be to his advantage to have me there, and would like me to bring friends. I assume we don't have to do anything except talk amongst ourselves and eat."

"So, it's just going to be you, me, Bella, and Eliza talking and eating with a bunch of people around?" Ryder questioned. "Like, it's not too big or anything like that, right?"

"Yes, that would be an appropriate way to put it." Jackie answered.

He thought for a moment, before nodding. "Alright, I'll go. October probably wants me to get out anyways," He chuckled. "Not just for me,"

She had a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"For her and Aiden too," Ryder clarified, forgetting that Jackie didn't catch onto social cues like others. "You know, so they can be alone together."

"I see," Jackie responded in understanding. "For sexual activity, you mean?"

Ryder stifled a laugh. "Yeah, that's what I mean." He shook his head in amusement. "So you'll text me with the details, right?"

Jackie nodded. "Of course." She said. "Your presence will be much appreciated."

"It's no big deal." Ryder assured her as she stood and walked away without saying goodbye. He knew not to take it personally, as that was the way Jackie was, and just went back to looking over the field and thinking to himself.

\- PRGG -

A few hours after school, Ryder was getting ready in his room. He had just gingerly pulled a long sleeve button-up shirt on and closed the front before carefully putting his sling back on. His collarbone was much better and would be healed up within a week or two, but it was still a bit sore when he jostled it too much.

Thankfully, he could definitely tell that the pain was lessening and his doctor assured him that it would be gone very soon.

Adjusting his sling to fit right, a knock on his door startled him. He figured it was October checking on him, but then he remembered that she had already done so and raised an eyebrow as he went over to the door and opened it, only to find Aiden standing there.

"Hey, man," Ryder greeted, allowing him to come in the room. He walked back over to the mirror and continued his task. "What's up?"

The red ranger shrugged. "I don't know, I guess I'm coming to see how you're doing." He responded, nonchalantly. "I know you've been having a tough time lately and I figured it would be good to see what's up."

Ryder nodded slowly, a smirk on his face. "I'm good," He chuckled. "I would ask if October sent you, but you wouldn't be as awkward about it if she did."

"Yeah, I just.. you're my girlfriend's brother and my friend, so I'm trying to get to know you more," Aiden said, awkwardly. "Since we haven't much before, you know?"

"Okay," Ryder still looked amused. "Well, if you have to know, I'm going out to a dinner party with Jackie, Bella, and Eliza."

Aiden gave a small simper. "Wow, you're gonna be out with all the ladies tonight."

"Oh yeah, it's gonna be something." Ryder rolled his eyes, but not in poor taste. "Especially with Jackie who doesn't do romance and Bella who I've never seen with a boyfriend in my life."

"And Eliza too," Aiden pointed out, making him shrug a bit. "What?"

He shrugged again. "Eliza's not that bad. I mean, I've been thinking about everything that happened and October was right about her." Ryder looked away from Aiden, trying not to catch his eye. "She didn't want what happened to happen, and I think the only reason we all ganged up on her was because it was still fresh. Plus, I was going through some shit and I shouldn't have been aloud up there in the first place."

"You think so? Really?" Aiden raised his eyebrows in surprise. He didn't think Ryder was the type to easily forgive, or change his mind on things for someone he wasn't very well acquainted with. "I didn't know you two were close."

"I never said we were," Ryder said quickly, before rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "But I can't say we weren't before everything. I was actually about to go on a date with her," He admitted.

"What?" Aiden's eyes widened in surprise. "That's a lot closer than I thought."

Ryder sighed. "Yeah, I haven't told anyone about it, but she was interested and so was I, and we kissed. We never did get to go on a date, but I wanted to."

"Do you still want to?" Aiden asked, raising his eyebrows at Ryder.

"Maybe," He shrugged. "I don't know. We aren't talking like we used to, so I have to figure it out. I'm hoping that I'll be able to do that tonight." Ryder saw the look Aiden had on his face and ran a hand through his hair. "Look, I know you're still having a hard time with everything, but it wasn't anyone's fault. You just have to think about it, and it all cools downs."

Aiden nodded. "I will, I just don't know if I'm ready to let all of that go yet."

"I get what you mean completely," Ryder said, finishing getting ready and turning to him. "But once you do, you and everyone else will feel a lot better." He clapped him on the shoulder with his good hand and passed by him, leaving Aiden to himself.

\- PRGG -

Jackie was pacing around her room anxiously, waiting for one of her friends to get there. So far, only her father's co-workers and other important people had shown up, but Bella, Eliza, nor Ryder had come over yet.

It was nerve-wracking to be downstairs with them alone, as Jackie didn't know what to say or how to speak to them, so she had decided to go upstairs until someone for her showed up. She knew that once one of them were there, it would be much easier to handle the stress of the dinner party.

A knock at her door startled her out of her thoughts, and she opened it to find Bella standing in the hallway and smiling at her. She waved Bella into her room and shut the door behind them.

"What's wrong?" Bella asked, frowning at the way Jackie was acting. "You seem nervous."

"I do seem to feel that way." Jackie confirmed. "I don't know how to handle this social event. I have been told many times that it is not my forte."

Bella grabbed her by the shoulders before she could begin pacing again and held her in one spot. "Hey, listen to me. I am going to tell you something very important, alright?" Jackie nodded, so she continued. "You are not as others say you are. This whole time you've always said how other people don't think you're a certain way, but that mean nothing. Screw what others say about you, because what they say is just a load of crap."

"But..."

"No," Bella cut her off. "You can't get all worked up thinking about something someone else thinks of you. Everyone's always going to judge you, but they'll never know who you really are. Not even your closest friends or family know who you really are, Jackie. Only you know that." She told her. "Now, are you gonna let what they say make you who you are, or are you going to show them they're wrong?"

She stared up at Bella, taking a deep breath. "Okay, I will do it."

Meanwhile, Eliza was standing at a table downstairs by herself, waiting for Jackie to come down. She was sipping patiently at a water and looking around idly when she felt a hand tap her on the shoulder. She turned and found, to her surprise, Ryder standing behind her.

"Uh.. hey," She responded, not knowing what else to say. "I didn't know you were coming."

He shrugged. "Yeah, I figured I should probably get out." Ryder looked her over. "You look nice."

"Thank you." Eliza blushed, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "So do you,"

"Even with the sling?" He smirked.

"Even with that." She responded, looking down and smiling. Eliza then cleared her throat and looked back up. "So, how're you doing, anyways? After everything that's happened, I mean."

Ryder watched her move a bit awkwardly in her position. "I'm doing good. You know, it seems everyone's been asking me that lately," He teased. "But you seem to be the most shy one about it."

Eliza looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I just.. it's been a while."

"I know," He nodded, apologetically. "That's completely my fault. I was going through a hard time and I blamed it on you when it wasn't you, it was me. I'm so sorry for that."

She stared up at him in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah," Ryder gave her a small smile. "I guess I'm also the one who prevented that date, huh? Unless, you weren't interested when I started acting like a jerk."

"Oh, I guess you were, in that case." Eliza returned the smile, sweetly. "Because I was definitely interested,"

He chuckled, "Well, if you're still interested, maybe we could do something about that."

"Maybe we should," Eliza agreed.

Just as she said this, the house shook slightly, making everyone look around in alarm and hold onto things nearby. Jackie and Bella rushed downstairs as this was occurring, meeting up with Eliza and Ryder. "What's going on?" Bella asked, keeping herself steady.

"Earthquake?" Ryder suggested, but Jackie shook her head.

"No, this can't be," She disagreed. "I have looked outside and the surrounding area does not appear to be shaking like we are."

Suddenly, a loud explosion sound came from the front door, making everyone turn in horror to see a large, menacing figure in the doorway. While no one else knew who it was, Jackie immediately recognized the giant as Enceladus, from her dream.

"You!" He boom, pointing to her with a large staff in hand. "Daughter of Athena! You will pay for your mother's sins!"

Jackie just glared as she morphed instantly and jumped into action, before anyone else could stop her. Ryder, Bella, and Eliza watched Jackie in shock for a few moments before also getting to work. Bella morphed as well, while Eliza and Ryder, who still couldn't fight, moved to get everyone else out of the room.

The white ranger was completely oblivious to everything going on around her, however, as she focused solely on Enceladus in front of her. She blasted at him a few times, watching as he deflected the blasts easily, before putting her blaster back in it's holster and pulling out her sword.

She ran forward, clashing her sword with his staff. He was extremely strong, but she was determined not to let him beat her. The anger she had felt from her dream was still very fresh in her mind as she fought back.

Before Jackie realized it, Bella had joined the fight, moving to blast Enceladus while she was locked in combat with him. She jumped back when Enceladus stumbled forward and went in for a hit on him, but he swung his staff back and hit her sword out of her hands instead.

Unfortunately, as he did this, his staff went further than he tried to swing and hit Bella hard, knocking her down instantly.

At this, Jackie's blood boiled. She saw her best friend laying on the ground and Enceladus smiling at her with rotten teeth, and something in her snapped.

Taking a deep breath, she grabbed her sword off of the ground and fought back hard, before he could even see her coming. She swatted his staff away from her and used her sword to plunge right into his chest.

It seemed like time had stopped. Enceladus choked out a gasp and looked down to see Jackie's sword impaling him completely through. He fell to his knees as Jackie ripped the sword back out and glared at her with his remaining strength.

"The rangers will never take down Saturn." He whispered harshly, grabbing onto her and not letting go. "Never."

His hand fell from her as he did, disintegrating into dust at her feet, much to everyone's shock. She heard everyone around her begin to talk once more, asking questions and whispering fears to each other, and thought about ignoring them.

However, as she saw Bella get to her feet and demorph with her, she decided to turn around instead to address everyone. "I apologize for what's happened here tonight, everyone, but I hope you'll understand that this is not my father's doing. This was a random attack and none of us had any idea this would occur. I sincerely believe that this incident should not change your opinions about the man my father is, as he is an excellent person."

Jackie nodded once to herself with a small smile, before allowing the party to continue.

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Guardians of the Galaxy:** Bella struggles to accept her father's marriage to her home economics teacher, Lisa, and lashes out at the way Lisa treats her in class. Meanwhile, Ryder fears that getting back to his ranger duties will make him revert back to his old self.

 **Next Chapter Title:** Fair

 **So, this one was more of a filler for Jackie's character development, but I hope you guys liked it! I really figured that she needed some development since she hasn't really since she's been here, so here it is!** **The next one is focusing on Bella's home life and such, so you'll be getting development for her as well.**

 **Because my 5th anniversary is this weekend, I'm basically gonna be getting these chapters out to you in a marathon fashion, with chapter after chapter coming out all day until the 4th. Just letting you guys know, and I hope you'll enjoy it!**

 **Anyways, here are the upcoming five chapters!**

 **Ep 23: Middle of Nowhere -** Luca focused chapter.

 **Ep 24: Diamond's Shine -** New rangers! *Title with ('s) is not a typo.*

 **Ep 25: Fame Isn't Easy -** New rangers focused chapter.

 **Ep 26: Is Love Real? -** All focused chapter.

 **Ep 27: Jealousy Is Not A Virtue -** Aiden focused chapter.

 **I hope you guys liked this chapter, and I'll be back with the next one soon!**

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


	22. Ep 22: Fair

Bella was doing her makeup by herself in the bathroom, getting ready for school that day. Her father, George, and future step-mother, Lisa, had already left for the day so she was left to drive herself and her future step-sister, Jo, to school, much to her chagrin.

As she got ready, she also was trying to kill time so she could be away from Jo as much as possible. It's not that Jo was a bad person or anything, but Bella had a problem with her that she couldn't really define. She had the same problem with Lisa.

Maybe it was jealousy over having more people living in the house to take her away from her dad, or maybe it was just something she felt about Jo. It was most likely the first, though Bella didn't want to admit that and seem immature.

At the same time, however, she also wished that she could just say something and the two would leave. She missed the days when it was just herself and her father, before the two had moved in and planned to stay, but she felt almost pathetic longing for that.

It felt childish and selfish to long for a time when she was content with being the only one with her father's attention, but he felt lonely only having a daughter around that had been practically dropped off on his door by his ex.

She was truly happy that he was happy, but she still didn't trust Lisa or Jo. She didn't know them very well, to begin with, and she just didn't like them very much.

Even if this dislike was misplaced on people who didn't deserve it, Bella didn't care that much. As long as her father was happy and not at risk of having his heart broken, she was fine with it.

That being said, Bella knew that he could have his heart broken by these two. She felt nervous that he was opening so much of his heart to them.

Logically, she knew she shouldn't be the one worrying about it. It wasn't her place to say what he could do, and it wasn't her place to say that she didn't like them so they had to leave.

Oh, how she wanted to, though. It didn't feel right morally, but it would feel right greedily.

A knock on the door startled her out of her thoughts, "Yeah?"

"Are you almost ready?" Jo asked, through the door. "I need to brush my teeth real quick before we leave."

Bella wanted to say no badly, even though she knew she really wasn't doing anything besides wasting time on makeup that she had already finished long before Jo showed up at the door. Sighing to herself, she replied. "Hold on,"

Opening the door, she grabbed all of her stuff and walked out past Jo. Jo was a skinny girl with bleach blonde hair, blue eyes, and a tall stature, similar to Lisa. "Morning," She greeted, but Bella just smiled briefly at her and walked away.

It was rude the way she acted, Bella knew that, but she couldn't help it. She wanted to protect her dad so, since she couldn't, she resorted to protecting herself from heartache by staying away.

The wedding was coming up soon, though, and she had no idea how she was gonna deal with it. She just tried to remember that it was all for her dad and not her, but it still felt strange and kind of wrong to her that he would just get married to someone she hardly knew and didn't like.

Then again, Bella reminded herself that she was moving out to go to college after this school year, so she supposed it didn't matter too much anyways. She wouldn't have to deal with it for long, and could have her father visit her instead of her visiting them.

Sighing again, she put her things down and picked up her bag, walking downstairs and out of the front door. Bella got into the driver's seat and started the car, waiting for Jo like she did every morning.

 **\- Cue Opening 2 -**

Aiden and October walked into class a bit late that morning, having spent their time together before class, and lost track of it. Aiden went to go sit at his table with Ryder, while she walked across the class to sit with Bella.

By the time they had gotten there, everyone was already working on their assignment for the day, so Aiden just sat down and read it over. He looked up when he saw Ryder smirking a bit at him.

"What?" He asked.

"My sister making you late now?" Ryder joked. "Jeez, what'd you even move in for?"

He rolled his eyes, amused. "Don't let her hear you talking like that, or she's gonna want even more from me."

"Alright, too much," Ryder chuckled.

The red ranger looked him over briefly, noticing a small flicker of something behind his amusement. He had been much better than before, and was fully healed now, but had yet to participate in a fight.

In fact, he hadn't even been to the command center since his accident.

It could be a coincidence, Aiden allowed. It could just be that he hadn't been up to it, nor thinking about it, and just didn't go. At the same time, it was something they did all the time, so why hadn't he thought about it? Especially now that he was doing so much better. It didn't really make sense.

"Hey," Aiden said, attracting his attention. "Why haven't you been around the command center lately? I thought you were back into fighting form,"

Ryder looked uncomfortable, but answered regardless, "Honestly, I don't really know if I'm up to being a ranger anymore." He admitted.

This made Aiden's jaw drop. He didn't know how to respond to something like that.

While he wasn't mad at Ryder, and knew that he probably had a good reason for feeling that way, he was shocked and extremely confused. Despite all that they had been through, no one else on the team had even made a comment about quitting.

"Really?" He asked, not knowing what else to say. "What's going on?"

"I don't know, I just..." Ryder trailed off for a moment, before continuing. "I was probably already gonna go downhill anyways, after October's and my parents died, but I feel like being a ranger made it happen faster. I don't know if being back as a ranger would be good for my mentality. I guess it's really a question of if I can handle it again."

"Oh," Aiden was surprised, though he understood. It was difficult and stressful to be a ranger. "Well, I understand where you're coming from, but you know that I'm your leader and I have to say that I hope you change your mind. We're your friends, and we'll help you through this, if you let us."

He looked to the side. "I know, I just have to think about this." Ryder sighed to himself, before getting back to his work.

Meanwhile, October and Bella were working together across the room to get their work done. October knew the answers to most of the questions that they were answering, so it was going by rather fast.

"So, I think the answer to this one is..." October paused, looking up to see that Bella wasn't paying attention. "Are you listening?"

"Huh?" Bella turned back to her. "What's going on?"

October frowned. "Nothing, but I figure I should probably ask you that."

"It's no big deal," Bella sighed, gesturing to their teacher, who was walking around the classroom and handing back graded tests. "That's my future step-mom."

"What? Seriously?" October raised an eyebrow, peering over at Lisa. "Your dad's marrying Ms. Sampson?"

"Yeah, and it's gonna be Mrs. Brown soon," Bella muttered, irritatedly. "I don't get along with her or her daughter, Jo, very well. It doesn't really make me feel any better to have her as my first period teacher so I go straight from seeing her at home in the morning, to seeing her at school an hour later."

The pink ranger grimaced, knowing family issues were not easy to have. "Have you talked to them about the problems you have with them?"

Bella looked at her like she was crazy. "Are you kidding? I can't do that. My dad loves them."

"Well, if you talk to them nicely about it, I'm sure you can work something out." October told her as Lisa came by the table to hand their tests back.

Lisa smiled at October. "Great job," She whispered, before handing Bella's back. "You could've done better, Bella. Study a bit harder next time," She told her as she moved to the next table.

"What is she talking about?" Bella frowned, turning her paper over to see that her test had a 60% on it. She gaped, knowing that had to be a mistake. "Let me see yours." She grabbed October's paper, comparing them, as October had a 98% on hers. Most of the answers were very similar, or the same. "What the hell?"

October looked over, "What's wrong?"

"Most of our answers are practically the same, but she gave you an almost perfect score and me a D!" She replied, angrily. "That's impossible." Bella raised her hand, and when Lisa didn't see her, she called out to her. "Ms. Sampson,"

The teacher turned back to her, and walked over. "Bella, you shouldn't yell for me in the classroom,"

She rolled her eyes. "I'll try to remember that," Bella replied sarcastically. "Why did you give me a D? October got an A, and our answers are almost the same."

"I would appreciate it if you talked to me more appropriately," Lisa commented, as she took Bella's paper back. "But I will look this over, alright? Now, get back to your work."

"Yeah, well I would appreciate it if you didn't act like you were welcome in my house," Bella muttered under her breath as she walked away, before shaking her head and getting back to doing her work with October.

\- PRGG -

After school, the rangers, except for Bella, all walked over to the command center to train after school. Ryder was walking a bit behind the others, not sure if he really wanted to train that day anyways.

Looking at the others, he counted them. With Jackie, Luca, October, Aiden, and himself, there were only five of them. That meant one of them had to sit out, and given that he had just recovered, he would likely be the one to sit out.

It almost made him sigh in relief. Then again, he was worried that Aiden would suggest that he spar because he knew how Ryder felt and wanted to encourage him back to the team. He knew Aiden wouldn't be doing it out of spite, and appreciated the effort, but it wasn't letting him have time to decided.

He also knew that he wasn't in a position to ask for time to decide. The rangers needed the team so they could take down Saturn's forces, and it was selfish of Ryder to tell them to wait for him to decide whether he wanted to be one or not.

The thought of being that selfish to the team made him upset at himself, because he really didn't want to do that to them. At the same time, he also didn't want to risk his mental health for that, especially since that wouldn't help anybody.

If he was unable to do it, him being a part of the team would just make things harder.

Unfortunately, the fact was that he was pretty sure he could handle it. If he could handle it while he was doing worse than he was now, then he was sure he could handle it at the place he was now.

His fear was that he would revert back to that place, or would discover that he couldn't deal with it when he's in the more emotional state he's in now. Before, he could just shove his emotions away and not deal with them.

Now, it was the opposite. To keep his mind healthy, he had been dealing with his emotions as they came and had been letting himself truly feel them. He was afraid that he wouldn't be strong enough to do it now.

Ryder shook his head at himself, before being knocked out of his thoughts by a nudge on the arm. He turned to see that October had slowed her pace to walk in the back with him. "Hey, you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah, why?" Ryder responded, nonchalantly.

"I just know that this is your first time back to the command center since your accident," October explained. "And that it's probably hard to jump right back in after being out for a while."

"Oh, I think I'll be alright." He told her, wondering to himself if Aiden had told her what he had said. "I might just be weaker than the rest of you for a while."

October shrugged, "That's alright, we don't care. As long as you're good, we're good." She assured him. "You're a great ranger and I bet you'll get back into it easily."

With the way she was talking, it didn't seem like he had told her, but Ryder wasn't completely sure. He figured if Aiden had told her that she likely would've asked him about it right away, but he really didn't know anymore. She had become a bit more careful about the way she spoke to him, so it was hard to determine. "Probably. So what were you and Aiden talking about?"

"Why do you ask?" She smirked slightly. "Not about anything that concerns you."

He grimaced, "Yeah, I bet."

She watched him for a few moments, "So, you're sure you're alright?"

"I will be," Ryder nodded. "I just need to get it all figured out." He reassured her as they all walked into the command center.

\- PRGG -

When Bella got home that day, she was chagrined to find her father, Lisa, and Jo all sitting in the living room, having a quiet, and obviously serious, conversation. They all paused when she came in the room, staring at her with different looks. Her father look disappointed, Lisa looked hurt, and Jo looked indifferent about it all.

It made her cringe to think of what this conversation was gonna be about, but she looked around the room regardless. "Hi," She greeted, questioningly.

"Bella, you should sit down," George told her. She pursed her lips, but did as he said. "I think we should have a talk about your attitude towards Lisa and Jo, especially after your stunt today."

She made a face. "What stunt?"

George looked mildly irritated. "The way you treated your step-mother in class today,"

"I didn't do anything wrong," Bella defended. "She gave me back a test with an unfair grade for no reason. She was in the wrong."

Before George could speak back up, Lisa stepped in. "You're right, I was wrong." She admitted. "But that didn't give you the right to talk to me the way you did, especially with what you said when you thought I couldn't hear."

"What?" Bella froze, not knowing how to respond. What she had said was not meant to be heard, "I didn't mean for you to hear that."

Lisa nodded. "Obviously." She sighed. "Did you mean what you said?"

Bella stared at her, before answering, "What do you think?"

"Don't be difficult, Bella," George rubbed a hand over his face. "What is this about? You were always so good when you were growing up, until Lisa and Jo moved in. I don't understand what happened."

"You really don't get it?" Bella crossed her arms, petulantly. "The only thing that's changed is them! I haven't changed, Dad, everything else has!"

Jo frowned. "What have we ever done to you?"

"All I want is to stay with my dad," Bella said, emotionally. She didn't care how she sounded - she wanted to get it out. "I don't like having you all around, taking him away from me just before you guys break his heart! It's the way it always goes!"

The other three looked at each other but struggled to find words to respond to her statement. Lisa was the first to speak up, "Honey, we don't..."

"Just stop," Bella put her hands up, not wanting to hear more. "Don't try to make this better and don't call me honey. You're not my mother." She stood suddenly, before feeling her locket heat up against her chest. "I have to go."

"Bella," Her father stood to stop her, but Bella just shook her head and walked out past him without another word.

\- PRGG -

At the command center, Aiden found himself looking out of the training room and down to the main area at Ryder and Eliza while he and October took a break from their training. He saw the two conversing, instead of Ryder training.

October took a sip of her water bottle and observed her boyfriend, getting up from her seat and seeing what he was looking at. "What are you doing?" She asked.

He startled, and peered over at her. "Oh, I don't know, I..."

"You know something I don't," She concluded, giving him a pointed look. "About Ryder."

Aiden stared at her for a moment, before shrugging nonchalantly. "I don't know what you're talking about,"

"Yes you do," October rolled her eyes. "He won't train and hasn't fought, and I don't know why, but you do. You don't have to tell me about it, as long as you talk to him about it." She told him. "I'm just glad he's talking to someone about it, even if it's not me."

"Really?" Aiden was surprised, knowing how close October and Ryder were. "Oh, okay. Yeah, I'll do that." He nodded at her once before exiting the room and making his way downstairs, where he saw Eliza smile and walk away from Ryder. He approached him. "Where's she going?"

"Make us some food," Ryder responded, smiling softly to himself. "She's something."

He nodded. "Yeah, I bet." Aiden paused for a moment, before continuing. "So, you didn't train with us today," He commented.

"I know," Ryder nodded, looking guiltily up at him. "I just..."

"Look, I'm really sorry to have to do this," Aiden interrupted him. "But you have to make a decision about this. We can't wait for something as big as the fate of the world. I would give you time, but I can't. I hope you understand."

Ryder sighed. "I figured. Just give me until the end of the day, at least?"

Aiden was about to respond when the alarm went off, attracting all of their attentions. He turned back to Ryder. "How about this - we'll be out there, and you can decide whether you want to come and help us or not. No one will be mad if you don't, just think about it."

"I..." Ryder trailed off as he watched them all run out of the room. He sat there for a few minutes, thinking about everything before he couldn't anymore and got up to go see the monitors.

Eliza had moved from the kitchen to the monitors as well to see what was happening, and what the two saw horrified them.

The creature, a Keres, grabbed ahold of Jackie and pulled her close. The Keres put her hands on Jackie's face and suddenly, a spirit-like smoke came out of the white ranger's body and left. Jackie demorphed and collapsed to the ground.

"Oh my God," Eliza gasped, checking the monitors to see Jackie's vital signs. When she did, she gripped the panel to keep from falling in shock. "She's.. she's dead."

He stared at her, wondering if he had heard her right. "What?"

She turned to him and latched onto him tightly. "She's gone!"

"That's impossible," Ryder continued to watch the scene as Luca was taken out as well. He looked at the vital signs, to see none for him too. He struggled to comprehend what was fully going on when he saw Aiden and October being approached on the screen.

The Keres stalked towards them, her hands out. Ryder felt his anger and shock rise when she grabbed the two of them and attempted to do the same. The two struggled fiercely, but as Ryder saw their struggle and vitals grow weaker, he felt something change in him.

Pushing Eliza away slowly, he looked down at her. "I have to go."

"You can't!" Eliza cried as he made a move to leave. "She'll kill you too."

Ryder took a deep breath. "I don't care. I was wrong about it being too hard to be a ranger - it's harder to watch from the sidelines." He took one last look at her before running out of the command center and towards the battle.

Once he got there, he felt himself nearly collapse from shock. All of his friends were laying prone on the ground, while the Keres stood above them all with a smirk on her face.

He looked up from the ground to face her, and immediately wanted to rip her apart. October and Aiden were the hardest for him to see, laying just by her feet, pale and gaunt.

Bella was also there, struggling to get up from the floor. When the Keres saw him arrive, she stomped over to Bella and grabbed her by the neck, raising her up from the ground to be face to face with her. She sucked the life out of her as well, throwing her off to the ground.

"One little ranger left," The Keres taunted in a raspy voice as she stalked towards him, reaching out to grab him as well. "What are you going to do now?" She wrapped her hand around his face, but he did the same immediately, using his enhanced strength to crack bones in her face.

The Keres let go quickly, growling at him. When she came at him again, he held his hands up in defense, and was shocked by what happened. Instantly, the Keres hissed in pain and moved away from him, as if he was draining her of something.

It didn't make much sense to him, but Ryder held his hand out straighter and focused more on it. As he did so, he could see color returning to his friend's faces and movement coming from them.

"This is impossible!" The Keres cried, watching the other rangers start to wake up. Bella, who had been out the shortest amount of time, regained her bearings first and picked up a discarded sword off of the ground while the Keres wasn't watching.

Ryder glared at her. "Apparently, it's not." He closed his fist slowly, draining her even further of power. As he did so, he felt a drain go through himself as well. "Never underestimate your opponent. Good thing I'm still around, huh?"

She made a move to speak again, but before she could, Bella came up behind her and shoved the sword straight through her back. The Keres gasped and turned slowly, facing Bella as she disintegrated, leaving the sword to fall to the ground.

The two stared at each other for a moment, before running over to help their friends. Ryder immediately moved to October and Aiden, helping them to their feet, while Bella did the same for Jackie and Luca.

"You guys okay?" He asked, looking them over for injuries.

October stopped him and put a hand on his face, frowning. She swiped her finger across the top of his upper lip and pulled her finger away, it coming away with blood. "Are you? What was that?"

He shrugged. "I have no idea. I guess it was a power I didn't know I had." Ryder wiped the blood off. "It made my nose bleed. I feel fine, though, just a bit worn."

"That's common with certain abilities," Jackie assured them. "He'll be fine. It just means he exerted himself."

Aiden raised his eyebrow, "Well, that's good to know," He commented, before turning to Ryder. "So, I guess this means you're staying?"

"Yeah, I think so," Ryder nodded. He looked around at them. "You guys died, you know?"

"That's not something that happens everyday," Bella muttered, before sighing. "Hey, I gotta go do something. I'll meet you at the command center later?"

The others nodded and walked off in the other direction, letting Bella walk back home by herself. When she got there, she walked in through the door to find her family just as she had left them.

Her father stood. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," She waved him off. "Look, I just thought about something - life is too short for this. You guys are happy, and I can learn to be too." Bella said. "So, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said what I said."

Lisa shook her head. "No, Bella, you weren't the only one at fault. I messed up on your test and we came onto you too strong." She said, standing as well. "I know I'm not your mother, but hopefully we can start over and I can be a motherly figure to you. I really want that for us. Would that be alright?"

Bella stared at her, feeling emotion swell in her chest. "Okay."

"I'm glad," Lisa moved forward, engulfing her in a hug. Bella froze for a moment in her grasp, before taking a deep breath and hugging her back.

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Guardians of the Galaxy:** Luca wakes up in the ocean, with no recollection of how he got there, leading him to meet Mercury.

 **Next Chapter Title:** Middle Of Nowhere

 **This one was written pretty fast and late, but I hope it did justice as a good chapter! I'll be publishing chapters all day for the next five days, with this one getting three more chapters before I move onto getting Emergency Responders to a good point!**

 **Anyways, here are the upcoming five chapters!**

 **Ep 24: Diamond's Shine -** New rangers! *Title with ('s) is not a typo.*

 **Ep 25: Fame Isn't Easy -** Black and Emerald Rangers focused chapter.

 **Ep 26: Is Love Real? -** All focused chapter.

 **Ep 27: Jealousy Is Not A Virtue -** Aiden focused chapter.

 **Ep 28: Just One Shot Part I -** Black Ranger focused chapter.

 **I hope you guys liked this chapter, and I'll be back with the next one soon!**

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


	23. Ep 23: Middle Of Nowhere

**Hey guys, here's the next one! There's no real fighting in this chapter, but you should definitely check out the end of it! It's a teaser for the next chapter!**

* * *

 _Luca was drowning. Or, at least, that's what it felt like. He was dragged deep under the water and gasped for air, choking on the water that entered his lungs. He remembered suddenly that he could breathe underwater, and tried to do so, but was unable to._

 _The minute he couldn't, Luca struggled back to the surface, breaking through the water on top and taking a large gulping breath when something grabbed his foot again and pulled him down deeper than before._

 _He kicked at whatever was holding him with his free foot to get loose, but couldn't seem to be able to do so._

 _Looking down to see what it was, he was startled when he saw a creature similar to a merman, but with demon-like features and sharp claws. He cried out and choked on the water filling his lungs again._

 _Kicking and pulling and doing anything to get free, Luca began to feel lightheaded from lack of oxygen. His struggle started to lessen right as he was shoved out of the water by the creature._

 _A large gasp erupted from him as he regained some of his strength. Right as he did, however, the creature threw him out of the water and into a large whirlpool. Luca screamed for help, looking around to see if there was anything that could save him._

 _Something was protruding out of the water nearby, and Luca tried to grab onto it, but it cut him and he was sent spinning through the water again. He looked at the cuts on his arms and then looked back at the object, surprised to see it looking like a large shark tooth._

 _As he spun closer to the center, it began to get hotter and hotter in the water. He tried to swim the opposite way, but the current was too strong._

 _Shadows moved over him and a loud CAW! startled him, making him look up to see a large bird-like creature flying above him menacingly, staring down with beady, bloodshot eyes._

 _It was at this point that he realized there was likely no way out of this. He was alone in the ocean and being tormented by creatures he had no experience with. He looked up to the sky and asked his father to protect him, knowing he was the God of the sea._

 _Before he knew what was happening, a figure plucked him from the whirlpool and took him away._

Luca sat up suddenly, coughing and hacking up water next to him. He took in shaky breaths at the same time, trying to will his lungs to work with him instead of against him.

Thankfully, it seemed he was back to normal, as the water in his lungs almost instantly stopped bothering him after the first few coughs.

He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again, surprised to see sand under him. Luca immediately looked up and gasped when he saw that he was on the beach on a very small island in the middle of the ocean.

Standing up and looking around for as far as he could see, there was no land anywhere. He was truly stranded out in an area of the ocean where there was nothing else around for ages without a boat.

"What the hell is going on?" Luca whispered to himself, running a hand through his wet hair. "How did I get here?"

Unfortunately, before those questions could be answered, a hand reached out of the water and grabbed him by the ankle, dragging him under once more.

 **\- Cue Opening 2 -**

October laid next to Aiden in her bed, taking in a deep breath and snuggling closer to him. He was still half-asleep, but he adjusted his arm to hold her closer regardless. The two were perfectly content and peaceful that morning.

"Are you awake?" She asked softly, not wanting to wake him if he wasn't.

He chuckled quietly. "Yeah, sorta. Are you?"

"Of course," October replied, amused. "Why would I ask you if I was still asleep?"

"'Cause you're strange," Aiden teased, not opening his eyes yet.

"Shut up!" October nudged him playfully. She rolled her head up to look at him. "Is it too early for me to tell you that I love you?"

Aiden finally opened his eyes and tilted his head down to kiss her. "Not at all." He responded, smiling tiredly. "It's never a bad time for that, as you should already know."

"Just making sure." She smiled back, before glancing over him to look at the time. "We slept in."

"We did?" He raised an eyebrow, not taking his eyes off of her. "What time is it, beautiful?"

She blushed at his comment, "It's around 11:30," October told him, before pouting. "Ryder's probably been up for a while, and wondering where breakfast is."

"Maybe he'll go out for breakfast," Aiden suggested with a seductive smirk. "I mean, he must know that we've been busy in here."

"Stop," October turned away, blushing even harder. "I don't want him to be thinking those things, even if they're true," She looked back up at him, giving him a pointed look. "What if we got him and all went out for breakfast?"

The red ranger acted like he was thinking about it, "Yeah, maybe. Or, you and I could hang out in here for our day off and do other fun things," He pulled her on top of him, continuing to smirk up at her. "If you want, I mean."

October rolled her eyes, though not in poor taste. "But he's gonna wonder what happened to us."

He sighed, feigning exasperation. "Fine, if it make you feel better, we can go check to see if he's out there."

"Okay," October gave him a grateful smile as she stood up and slipped a large T-shirt on, and he stood and slipped his jeans on. He looked around for his shirt, before he looked over at her and saw her wearing it.

"You know, for someone who doesn't want him to think we've been doing anything in here, even though he obviously does know, you're not exactly trying to hide it very well," Aiden commented, laughing lightly.

She looked down at her herself, before back up at him, looking like a kid with their hand in the cookie jar. "Well, if we're coming back in here, I don't see why I need to get fully dressed. You're not completely dressed either, you know,"

"Because you have my shirt," Aiden crossed his arms, humorously.

"I don't know what to tell you, Aiden." October played it off, before exiting the room.

The two walked out into the main room, where they saw Ryder standing there, looking through the fridge idly. When he heard their footsteps, he stood fully and turned around, before grimacing at the sight. "Okay, you guys can do whatever you want in the bedroom, but don't bring it out here for me to see."

"We were just coming to see if you were here," October explained, awkwardly.

Ryder raised an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Aiden shrugged. "Maybe you would've gone out to eat," He suggested, giving Ryder a look. "Maybe you're getting ready to do that."

"Aiden," October nudged him, embarrassed. She turned back to Ryder. "He doesn't know what he's talking about."

"Yeah, sure he doesn't," Ryder scoffed, shaking his head in amusement. He reached over and picked up his jacket and keys. "Well, I think I get the message. I'll be back later."

"Alright, be safe." October called to him as he left. She looked up at Aiden. "Could you be anymore obvious?"

He looked her over slyly. "Do I really care?"

"I..." She bit her lip, giving him a sly look of her own. "I guess not."

Suddenly, he picked her up and spun her, kissing her passionately. She wrapped her arms and legs around him, and they made their way back to the bedroom.

\- PRGG -

Meanwhile, Jackie finished washing her face and looked in the mirror as she patted her face dry. She looked around the rather fancy bathroom, impressed by how pristine and nice it looked. It was a large room with marble tiles and white walls. There was a separate shower and bath, both with gold plating as well, and it wasn't even the master bathroom.

The room was gorgeous, just like the rest of Bella's house. She had tried to take it all in when she had gotten there yesterday to spend the night, but it was all so nice that Jackie was still taking it in that morning.

Jackie made her way out of the bathroom when the smell of food being cooked hit her nose. She followed the smell downstairs, finding Bella in the kitchen, cooking something over the stove. She, like Jackie, was still in her pajamas and had only woken up an hour before.

"What are you making?" Jackie asked, startling Bella.

The yellow ranger turned to see her there, and held a hand to her chest. "Jeez, Jackie, you're gonna give me a heart attack."

"That is practically impossible," Jackie responded in confusion. "How could I do something so drastic by startling you in the kitchen?"

"It's just a saying," Bella explained, making her nod. "But, I'm just making us some brunch with some vegetables from my garden. They're basically the only ones I use, unless I haven't grown them."

"I see," She came over, looking at the fresh vegetables. "They do look excellent in growth."

Bella smiled proudly, "They are. I only grow and use the best for my food."

"Being Ceres' daughter is also an advantage for gardening," Jackie told her. "You have the ability to make such plants grow."

"Yeah," Bella looked down solemnly for a moment, before looking back up at her. "Hey, do you think we would still be the same without our abilities? Like, if we weren't demigods,"

She thought for a moment, before shaking her head. "I do not believe so. You would likely not be interesting in gardening like you are, and I would be completely different. My logic and practicality has shaped my personality to being less socially oriented. If I was not Minerva's daughter, I would have a much different outlook on life. Luckily for you, your powers are more physical, meaning you would not be too much different then you are now."

"You think?" Bella asked.

"I do," Jackie affirmed. "It would be a similar case for Aiden, Ryder, and Luca. October, perhaps, may be a bit more different because she does have some control on the mental spectrum." She noticed the look on Bella's face. "Is something wrong?"

"Kinda.. I don't know," Bella shrugged, before looking at her. "I just worry sometimes that my whole life is the way it is because I'm a demigod. Like, the only reason I am who I am is because of that, and that scares me a little because it makes me wonder who I really am underneath all of that."

Jackie frowned. "Bella, everything you are is because of the decisions that are made for you or by you. You didn't choose to be a demigod, but you _are_ who you are because of it. You are who you are because of everything you've been through. Being a demigod doesn't make you something else, it makes you you."

"Really?" Bella stared at Jackie, surprised at how well she was comforting her. She had never really heard Jackie speak like that. "I didn't know you had so many words of wisdom."

The white ranger shrugged. "My mother may have given me logic beyond comprehension and awful social skills, but she is not the Goddess of wisdom for nothing."

Bella laughed lightly, "I'll agree with that." She said, getting back to her cooking.

\- PRGG -

Luca was being dragged through the water at an incredible speed, feeling quite like he did when he was dreaming. The only difference is, he felt like he could breathe underwater again, which was a big relief.

Well, there was one other difference. When he looked down, the creature that was pulling him looked like a mermaid, but she didn't have demonic features, similar to the merman-like monster that had been dragging him down in his nightmare.

It was confusing to him why this mermaid wanted him so badly, but she didn't seem harmful and he didn't know how deep down he was, so he decided to go with it and allow her to take him where she was going.

Where she was going was revealed rather quickly, in fact, when she slowed down and stopped at the ocean floor, allowing him to regain his footing on the ground. He looked at her with a frown. "What are you doing with me?"

"Our brother needs your help," She told him.

He raised an eyebrow, "Our brother?" Luca repeated, looking her over. Besides the fact that she was a mermaid, she did look similar to himself an Eliza in the pale skin and light features. "Who are you, and who's our brother?"

"I'm Ianthe," She responded. "And our brother is Triton, the son of Neptune and ruler of Atlantis."

"Atlantis? Atlantis is a myth," Luca frowned, before she pointed behind him. He turned and was shocked to see a large, golden palace behind him, surrounded by smaller buildings that made up a small city. "Or not."

Ianthe made a face. "Maybe you shouldn't assume things are myth when you know very well that myths come true often."

"Yeah, I'll remember that," He rolled his eyes as he followed her to the large palace, where he entered and found himself walking up to a golden throne, where a merman sat elegantly. "Is that...?"

She nodded. "Triton." Ianthe approached him further, attracting his attention. "I have brought you the demigod of the name Luca Johnson."

Triton gestured for her to leave, and for Luca to approach. He did so hesitantly, and Triton spoke. "You, Luca, were chosen out of many to take on the role as a power ranger to protect us against the threat of Saturn. I have called upon you to help me with such a threat."

"What would that be?" Luca asked, not unkindly.

"Scylla and Charybdis, who you met earlier this day," Triton replied. "Do you remember them?"

Luca shook his head. "I don't remember encountering anything this morning. I had a dream about sea monsters and then I woke up on an island,"

"That was not a dream." Triton raised an eyebrow. "You must have been barely conscious when the messenger rescued you."

"Mercury?" Luca asked, and Triton nodded. "So, Scylla and Charybdis are sea monsters? What do you want me to do about them? If I remember anything about this morning, it's that I was nearly killed just being near them."

"I do not want you to take them out, necessarily," Triton explained. "I would like you to cure them of their curses."

He gave Triton a strange look. "I have no idea what that means."

"Ask your messenger to do so," Triton ordered. "He will know who to call and what to do." He looked to the side. "Ianthe," He called her over. "Take our guest back to the surface to speak to the messenger."

Ianthe bowed and grabbed onto Luca's arm. "Of course, brother." She took Luca out of the room and before he could stop her, they were going right back towards the surface.

\- PRGG -

Meanwhile, Alice sat worriedly in a booth at the local diner, waiting for Luca to show up for their lunch date. He was already more than a few minutes late, and Alice was more worried than she was angry, mostly because she knew he would never be late on purpose.

So, if he was late, there was obviously a bigger reason for it and she was worried about what that reason may be. It could be a ranger battle, but she hadn't heard anything on the news, and he would've called as soon as it was over.

Blowing her off for ranger activity, unless it was extremely time-sensitive or serious, was not something he would do. Unfortunately, she couldn't think of anything besides that that would make sense in that aspect.

Luca would call if there was an emergency that was not ranger related, but hadn't even tried to contact her. When she called his phone, it was obvious that it had been turned off by the way it only rang once before going to voicemail.

It was concerning to say the least, and was only becoming more worrisome by the minute.

Even more so when she saw Ryder walk in and talk to the person at the counter. She moved over slightly on the bench and attracted his attention when he was done, making him walk over to her. "Hey, Alice. What's up?"

"Do you know what's going on with Luca?" Alice asked, looking around in worry. "We were supposed to have a date an hour ago, but he hasn't showed."

Ryder frowned. "Really? That's not cool, and doesn't seem like Luca at all. He's good guy, usually."

"There's no ranger stuff going on, or anything?" She said, rubbing her arm. "Like anything that would make him be late?"

"I don't think so," Ryder shook his head. "I haven't heard anything. Have you tried calling him?"

"Of course, first thing." Alice answered. "But his phone's off, which it never is."

He made a face. "Yeah, that's really strange," Ryder thought for a moment. "Do you think something bad happened to him?"

"Do you?" Alice gaped at him. "Are you suggesting that?"

"Well, you are," Ryder told her. "The reason you're asking is because you think something's wrong."

Alice looked down. "Yeah, I am, but I don't want to hear that you think I'm right. I'd rather be wrong and have him blow me off than have something bad happen to him."

The green ranger nodded. "Obviously. Do you think it could be Saturn?"

She sighed, "I don't know. Is there anyway we could figure it out?"

"We could go to the command center," Ryder suggested. "Ask Eliza to check out the monitors. I could call the others in too. If Luca's missing, we have to find him,"

"Okay, let's do it." Alice stood.

Ryder put a hand up to stop her. "Hold on, I'm waiting for some food. Sorry, but October and Aiden basically kicked me out so they could have sex, even though I don't care."

"That seems like them." Alice chuckled lightly, though her nervousness remained. "Alright, let's wait in the front and then get going."

"Sounds like a plan," He assured her as the two walked to the front to wait.

\- PRGG -

Luca was practically thrown back onto the extremely small island, panting as he looked around once more. Just like before, there was nothing around him but water for miles, except something new that he had yet to see.

Over about a mile to the left was two large rocks that stood prominently out of the water, and there was a large bird-like creature with many tentacles sitting atop one of them. Luca recognized it as the bird from that morning.

Between the two rocks was the large whirlpool that he also saw. Now that he was sitting outside of it, he could see the large teeth surrounding it as they protruding out of the water, but otherwise didn't move.

Out of nowhere, the whirlpool sucked a bunch of water into it and threw it up into the air like a geyser. He stared in shock, wondering how anyone was supposed to handle those two.

"You're looking better," A cheerful voice from behind him commented, startling him briefly. He turned to see Mercury behind him, his hands on his hips. "Well, sort of - you're still pretty wet from your trip to Atlantis. At least you're not bleeding anymore."

"Bleeding?" Luca looked down at himself, surprised to find his arms cut up, even though he knew his dream was actually real. "Oh, I guess I got that in the whirlpool."

"I know. Charybdis isn't really fond of.. anybody, really." Mercury chuckled lightly, making Luca frown.

He crossed his arms. "What are you even doing here, Mercury?"

"Helping you so you don't die," Mercury gave him a pointed look. "Besides, someone needed to bring you here in the first place. I was gonna leave, but you were abducted pretty quickly and thrown into Charybdis to die, so I figured I should stick around."

"There's more than that," Luca commented. "Triton said that you need to cure Scylla and Charybdis of their curses."

Mercury raised an eyebrow. "You think I'm capable of that? I'm the messenger God, not a sorcerer."

The blue ranger shrugged, "I don't know, okay? Triton just told me you'd know what I mean when I said that. I don't even know their story, let alone how to cure them."

The messenger God smirked. "Well, if you must know, Scylla and Charybdis were cursed by Circe and Zeus respectively to be what they are now. They weren't always this extreme, though." He sighed. "I'm sure that Saturn has something to do with their grandeur lately, so I suppose I have to get them back to normal."

"You know how?" Luca asked.

"Yes," Mercury nodded. "But, I'm not the one who's capable of undoing it. I will get Trivia over here to undo the curse soon, thank you for letting me know."

Luca frowned. "Aren't you going to get in trouble with the other Gods for doing that?"

"I'll get in trouble with them if I _don't_ do it." Mercury pointed out. "If they are out of control, it is our job to stop them. Since we cannot really destroy them, the only way would be to undo the curse placed on them." He looked him over. "You've been through a lot today."

"Really?" Luca rolled his eyes. "I thought I was just dragged under water three times, thrown at a sea monster, and saw Atlantis for five minutes for nothing."

Mercury chuckled. "The reason I say so is because I want to give you this," He held up a power coin, with a wing on it. "I know it seems like nothing in return for dropping you in the middle of the ocean with monsters, but I figure it can compensate a little."

"Yeah, that's compensates," Luca agreed, taking the power coin from him and feeling a surge of power run through his body. He put it on the rope of his locket, next to his original one. "What does it do?"

"Are you ready to go home?" Mercury asked, making Luca nodded. "Do it. Think about it."

He looked at him in confusion before doing as he said. Suddenly, he disappeared from the island, leaving Mercury to himself.

\- PRGG -

The other rangers and Alice were all gathered at the command center, waiting for Eliza or Liela to tell them something about Luca or his whereabouts. Ryder and Alice had gotten there first, waiting for the others, who soon came to figure it out.

Eliza and Liela came out of the monitoring room, walking over to stand in front of them. "We located Luca briefly," Liela announced.

"But we lost him," Eliza sighed. "We're working on finding his new location now and will..."

She trailed off when a figure suddenly materialized in the room and fell to the floor. The figure sat up and looked around, revealing himself to be Luca, who was soaking wet and confused. He looked up at the others when he regained his bearings.

"Miss me?" He quipped, offering a sideways smile.

"Luca!" Alice cried, rushing to him and engulfing him in a hug. "I've been so worried! Where were you, and why are you wet?"

"And how did you get here?" Bella frowned.

Luca stood up and took a deep breath. "I was taken to a deserted island by Mercury, dragged underwater to Atlantis, then Mercury told me he'd cure Scylla and Charybdis before giving me a power coin." He explained quickly.

Everyone stared at him, confused. "Was that a joke?" Jackie asked, looking at the others and wondering if she was the only one who didn't get it, as usual.

"No," Luca shook his head. "I'm serious. That's how I got here, with my new power coin. Apparently, I can teleport now."

Liela was the first to but in, "Alright, well you've probably had a long day. Why don't you get a shower and relax, and we can all get back to the rest of our day?"

"I agree," Aiden spoke up, before anyone else could. He stood and pulled October up with him. "We were doing something very important before we came here, but we're glad you're okay, Luca." He said, dragging October out of the room with him without saying goodbye.

"God, they're too much," Ryder rolled his eyes as he also stood. "Well, I can't wait to get home and listen to that through the walls. See you guys, and I'm glad you're good too, Luca."

Bella and Jackie stood as well, saying their well wishes before they left too. Alice turned to Luca when they were gone. "I'm so glad you're alright. When you didn't show for our lunch date, I knew something was wrong."

Luca's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Our lunch date! Damn it, I totally forgot with everything going on. Come on, let me get home and take a shower, and then I'll take you out for dinner instead,"

"I'd like that," She smiled, exiting the command center with him.

\- PRGG -

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of town, a small group of titans were preparing for an attack on the city. They were stalking the streets carefully, but didn't see many people, as it was already getting late.

It was almost frustrating to them that they couldn't find anything to really cause destruction with, but the group continued to roam the streets trying to find a good place to start their rampage on anyone or anything around.

Suddenly, before they had a chance to do anything, an arrow hit one of them in the chest, causing the whole group to look around in shock. The one that was hit fell to the ground and crumpled to dust.

Another was thrown at a car before any of them could do anything about it, but they couldn't see the assailant that hit them.

The titans began to frantically look for the attackers as more of them were hit with arrows, causing the remaining few to attempt to duck behind cars or anything else on the street. The person who was doing it, however, had incredible aim and was able to hit them through small spaces that left them open.

Spirit-like figures began to rise from the ground, shoving the last titans out into the open where they were shot down easily with the arrows. The spirits disappeared and two other figures walked forward, revealing themselves to be rangers shortly before they ran off into the dark of night.

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Guardians of the Galaxy:** The rangers are excited to find out that two new celebrity students are coming to the school, and even more so when October's past is revealed with one of them. At the same time, two new rangers show up to assist the team.

 **Next Chapter Title:** Diamond's Shine

 **Yes, the new rangers have finally arrived! I am so excited to add these last two to the team, which will finally make it complete! Next chapter will be the last cover photo and video update for this story, which will lead us into the second half of it!**

 **Once the next chapter is up, I will put the poll for your favorite character up so you can vote to see who shows up in my anniversary chapter this Friday! Can't wait to see who you guys choose!**

 **Anyways, here are the upcoming five chapters!**

 **Ep 25: Fame Isn't Easy -** Black and Emerald Rangers focused chapter.

 **Ep 26: Is Love Real? -** All focused chapter.

 **Ep 27: Jealousy Is Not A Virtue -** Aiden focused chapter.

 **Ep 28: Just One Shot Part I -** Black Ranger focused chapter.

 **Ep 29: Just One Shot Part II -** Black Ranger focused chapter.

 **I hope you guys liked this chapter, and I'll be back with the next one soon!**

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


	24. Ep 24: Diamond's Shine

**Hey guys, here's the next one! The poll for your favorite character is up, but I hope you read this one first since there are two new characters that have the opportunity to win first place! The new cover photo and video are up, if you want to check those out too!**

 **Rosie is portrayed by Eliza Swenson**

 **Grayson is portrayed by Brant Daugherty**

* * *

 **Previously on Power Rangers: Guardians Of The Galaxy**

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of town, a small group of titans were preparing for an attack on the city. They were stalking the streets carefully, but didn't see many people, as it was already getting late.

It was almost frustrating to them that they couldn't find anything to really cause destruction with, but the group continued to roam the streets trying to find a good place to start their rampage on anyone or anything around.

Suddenly, before they had a chance to do anything, an arrow hit one of them in the chest, causing the whole group to look around in shock. The one that was hit fell to the ground and crumpled to dust.

Another was thrown at a car before any of them could do anything about it, but they couldn't see the assailant that hit them.

The titans began to frantically look for the attackers as more of them were hit with arrows, causing the remaining few to attempt to duck behind cars or anything else on the street. The person who was doing it, however, had incredible aim and was able to hit them through small spaces that left them open.

Spirit-like figures began to rise from the ground, shoving the last titans out into the open where they were shot down easily with the arrows. The spirits disappeared and two other figures walked forward, revealing themselves to be rangers shortly before they ran off into the dark of night.

 **Now**

A young woman, at about the age of 19, stood on the balcony of her large, cliff-side house and overlooked the city. It was about 7:30 in the morning, and the sun was still making it's way into the sky, casting a warm glow over the city.

She smiled softly to herself as she watched it rise, feeling the slight chill in the air begin to dwindle away.

This was the city she grew up in, Sol Valley, before she moved the Los Angeles for the last few years as she became a successful actress, taking after her father and step-mother. She didn't just do it for them, as she truly did like it, but she was glad to move back to Sol Valley and slow down a bit while she finished her last year of high school.

Before she came back, her life was so hectic that she felt like she hardly had time to breathe. She was even held back a year in school because her schedule was so busy that she couldn't keep up with her work.

Thankfully, her father was very understanding and didn't mind that she needed more time to graduate, but she didn't want to continue on the way it was going, which was one thing that prompted their return to the town they left.

How she missed this place. It was quiet in the mornings and a lot more friendly than it was down in L.A. Back there, many people were extremely self-absorbed in their own business, or at least, that's how she saw it.

Not that that was an awful thing, but it wasn't a great thing. No one would ever talk to each other because everyone had their own friends and lives to lead. The only reason people would come up to her on the streets was for her autograph.

Being back was a blessing, and she didn't want to waste a minute of it.

"Rosie," A voice called from behind her, attracting her attention. Rosie was a beautiful young woman with long auburn hair, teal eyes, and stood at 5'7. She wore a dark green peplum top with laces at the top, black leather tights, and black lace-up heeled booties.

Turning around, she came face to face with a young man who was about the same age as her. He had a handsome face, cropped black hair, blue eyes, and stood at 6'1. He was wearing a black and gray baseball T-shirt, black jeans, and black vans. "Grayson," She responded, giving him a questioning look.

"Are you ready to face the music?" He asked, crossing his arms and leaning against the door frame.

"We've been doing this for a few years now." Rosie gave him a knowing look. "I don't think I should have too much trouble."

Grayson shrugged. "I know, but this is different. Sol Valley is where we grew up, and now we're coming back and people are gonna treat us different just because we're famous."

"I don't think that's ever stopped someone from being where they love," Rosie commented.

"You love it here?" Grayson smirked for a moment, before sighing. "Consider that it might not be the same as it used to be."

She raised her eyebrows. "All because we're famous? My dad's been famous for longer than I've been alive so I've always had to deal with people only wanting me for my status. I can handle it. Can you?"

He frowned. "Why wouldn't I be able to handle it? I'm away from all the drama, at least."

Rosie nodded. "Yeah, unless they come back too. I mean, this was where they lived too,"

"Don't say things like that," Grayson glared at her. "I can't deal with them again, Rosie. They need to stay away and out of my life."

"Well, I can understand on Stella's part, but what about Declan?" She asked.

Grayson's glare turned darker. "I don't wanna talk about it. Can we get going? I'd rather face it sooner rather than later."

"Alright," Rosie leaned down to pick up her purse, and followed Grayson out of the balcony.

 **\- Cue Opening 3 -**

When Aiden, October, and Ryder got to school, they were surprised to see a large crowd of students and even press standing at the front of the school, waiting for something. The three exchanged looks and walked through the crowd to find the other three rangers, Alice, and Eliza all waiting as well, seeming excited.

"What's going on?" Aiden asked, over the loud ruckus of the crowd.

Luca looked over at them. "Apparently, we're getting celebrities as two new students here."

"Yes, but I am currently unaware as to who these people are," Jackie spoke up. "Or why this crowd has come to be."

"You don't know who they are?" Bella asked, incredulously.

When Jackie shook her head, Eliza responded, "It's Rosemary and Grayson Diamond, Jackie. They got really famous in just a few years,"

At the mention of their names, Ryder and October both glanced at each other, surprised.

"Oh, the Diamond's," Aiden nodded in recognition. "Yeah, they're good actors. They used to live here before they moved to L.A., right?"

"That's right," Alice confirmed, before nudging October. "I can tell you're really excited."

"I am, of course." October replied. She shot Alice a look, knowing that she knew why she was distracted by all of this. "I just didn't realize that they were ever coming back. I figured it was a pretty permanent move."

Aiden looked confused. "Why would that matter?"

She shrugged nonchalantly. "No reason,"

Ryder nudged her. "I thought so too." He assured her.

"Hey, here they are!" Eliza exclaimed as a nice, black car pulled up to the street and Rosie and Grayson stepped out. The two smiled at the people around them, waving and trying to ignore the camera's and overlapping yelling.

The rangers were standing right next to the entrance to the school, and when October tried to slip through before being seen, she looked towards the two and caught Grayson's eye, right before she caught Rosemary's as well. The two looked at her, and then at Ryder, their faces dawning in recognition.

Grayson, as he walked by, specifically gave her a smile and made it known that he did, before walking through the doors. Everyone else was soon let inside.

"October," Aiden walked beside her, wrapping an arm around her. "Did you see the way he smiled at you?"

She chuckled nervously, playing it off. "Grayson? Oh, it was probably just some smile he flashes all of the girls. I'm not worried about it,"

He looked unsure, "Are you positive? I don't want him to bother you."

October wrapped her free arm around him also, "Don't worry, okay? I love _you_ , and I'm not gonna let any other guy take me away from that. I promise, but only if you promise never to let any other girl take you away from me,"

"I promise." He kissed her on the forehead as they walked to class.

\- PRGG -

A bit later on, Bella made her way into third period after break, distractedly wiping dirt from her fingers as she did so. She normally sat alone, so she wasn't paying much attention to her surroundings and just sat in her assigned seat.

Continuing her task, she was startled when she noticed someone next to her. She looked up, shocked to find Rosie sitting there. "Rosemary? Oh, I'm so sorry. I probably should've finished this before I came in,"

"Do you usually get down and dirty right before third period?" Rosie quipped.

"Oh, well, I'm head of the gardening club," Bella rambled. "So I was just checking on the garden, but I wouldn't say it's an everyday thing. Maybe more of a once a week thing. I usually do it at lunch..."

Rosie put a hand up to stop her. "Calm down, I'm just the same as you. Actually, we're more similar than you think, considering we're both well known," She looked her over. "You're Isabella, right? The yellow ranger?"

"Yeah," Bella stammered. "I.. uhh.. I didn't know you knew who I was. Oh, you can call me Bella, by the way."

"Okay well, Bella, you can call me Rosie, if you want." Rosie responded. "I don't usually go by Rosemary - it's too long."

Bella smiled, throwing her paper towel away in the nearby trashcan. "I would love to," She gave Rosie an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, I'm not used to meeting celebrities. I don't usually act like this."

She shrugged. "I'm used to it, don't worry about it."

The yellow ranger shook her head. "No, you shouldn't have to be; not from your hometown, at least. I'll start acting normal now," She chuckled nervously.

"That's too bad," Rosie smirked. "Maybe I found your bumbling act endearing." Bella blushed. "Hopefully your normal nature will be even better, though I can't see how."

"Oh, I..." Bella trailed off shyly, not knowing what to say. "Well, I like your nature too. I mean, not that I'm, like.. I don't know..."

Rosie laughed. "Nice to know we're hitting it off so soon. Next thing you know, we'll be standing at the alter and exchanging our vows." She nudged Bella. "Don't worry about it, I'm not gonna judge you. Besides, why would I want to when you're the only person who's been genuinely nice to me up until now."

"Really? Why would anyone want to be rude to you?"

"Well, it's not that anyone is being rude," Rosie told her. "It's just that no one is being nice for my benefit. Everyone is being kind so that they can suck up to me and gain something from my fame."

"How do you know I'm not doing that?" Bella asked, purely out of curiosity.

She looked Bella over. "I don't know, I guess I can just tell. You're not nervous because you're worried about impressing me, you're nervous because you're worried I'll judge you. That doesn't tell me you care about my fame. Unlike everyone else, you actually care because think my opinion of you matters. I mean, they do too, but not in the same way. You're more concerned about me than the press you'll get from me."

"I don't exactly like the press," Bella pointed out. "It was kinda hard at first to have them around all the time, but thankfully they've seemed to back off."

"Yeah, once they get used to you, they get tired of you." Rosie agreed, just as the teacher walked in. "We'll have to talk more later. Maybe you could show me your garden, since you're obviously good enough to be the head of the gardening club." She said as they began to listen to the teacher.

\- PRGG -

When sixth period rolled around, October felt pretty good about that day. She had some great alone time with Aiden and had an easy day in all of her classes. She assumed it was because of Rosie and Grayson, with their presence likely being distracting for a bit and leading the teachers to pick easier things in the meantime.

During the day, she had also managed to avoid the two pretty easily as well. Not that she was trying very hard, but she didn't know what that interaction would bring for the first time in a while, and was nervous about it. It would be worse, also, if they didn't remember her. By the look Grayson gave her outside, that was likely not the case, but it was still a possibility she didn't want to face.

Besides that, October was also afraid to confront her feelings about the past. That was why she nearly gasped aloud when she walked into class and saw Grayson sitting in the empty seat next to hers, especially since Aiden and Ryder sat together just across the room.

As she walked towards her seat, she shot Ryder a look when Aiden was distracted to stay quiet. He nodded, and she made her way to her seat.

The two didn't talk for the first few minutes as the teacher addressed the class, but once they were allowed to work on their own, Grayson turned to her. "You're not even gonna say anything?"

"What?" October asked, as if she hadn't heard him.

"Don't be that," Grayson teased her. "You haven't even said hi after so long,"

"I didn't know if you remembered me," October admitted. "Plus, I didn't know if you wanted me to say anything. I figured our relationship was a bit rocky now."

He looked at her like she was crazy. "Why would we have a bad relationship?" Grayson asked. "Come on, Tobie, I know something else is up."

October chuckled slightly at her old nickname. "That's awful, first of all," She commented, making him laugh. "And there's nothing up, it's just different now. I'm a lot different than you remember."

Grayson nodded. "I can tell. You've grown up quite a bit. Last time I saw you you were still sneaking out and stealing your dad's motorcycle when he wasn't looking. Your attitude has definitely changed."

"It had to," October told him. "I don't know if you know this, but my parents died almost two years ago. It was a monster attack, and it's just been me and Ryder ever since. I kinda had to grow up to take on the role of being a real sister, instead of how I was,"

"Wow," He breathed out in shock. "Yeah, I didn't know that. I'm very sorry." Grayson put a light hand on her wrist. "I know it was a while ago, but how are you guys doing?"

She smiled softly. "Good, actually. Ryder took it a lot harder than I did, but he's gotten back into his old rhythm recently. I've been pretty okay since it happened, I've just had a personality shift. I think it was for the better, though. Looking back, I don't really like the way I was."

"Well, I hope you haven't changed too much," Grayson slowly moved his hand to her's. "I liked the way you used to be."

"I should tell you," October moved her hand away a bit. "I have a boyfriend. What we had was a long time ago, Grayson, and it was good, but it's not now."

He seemed disappointed, but nodded. "I got it. That doesn't mean we can't be friends, right?"

"Right, yeah," She agreed.

Meanwhile, Aiden was watching exchange from across the room. Ryder was sitting next to him and trying to do his work when he noticed what the other young man beside him was looking at. He looked up, and nudged Aiden.

"What are you doing?" Ryder asked.

Aiden was startled slightly. "What? Oh, I'm just looking at them." He gestured to October and Grayson. "Do you think he's interested in her?"

Ryder gave him a look, "They've just started talking. I wouldn't be too worried out of nowhere. Besides, you trust her, and that's what matters."

"You know something I don't," Aiden turned to him. "What is it?"

"They..." He sighed, before giving in. "October and Grayson used to date, before he moved away. This was a long time ago, even before our parents died. I doubt there's still anything there."

"Why wouldn't she tell me that?" Aiden frowned, feeling jealously bubble up. "I asked her about it earlier and she said it was nothing."

The green ranger raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Really? October's not the type to lie like that." He commented.

"Unless something still is there and she doesn't want me to know," Aiden suggested.

"Hey, don't make assumptions," Ryder stopped him. "October loves you and she's never been a cheater, not even at her worst. If she did ever do anything, I bet she'd tell you right away, anyways. You should just keep trusting her and don't say anything unless something's really going on. You're just gonna start something."

He sighed. "I know, and I do trust her. I don't trust him."

"Aiden, you don't even know the guy." Ryder said, before looking over to see October point over at them and wave. The two waved back, and Ryder nudged Aiden once more. "See, nothing to worry about." He assured him as the two got back to work.

\- PRGG -

At the command center, Liela was going through video surveillance tapes from all over the city while she waited for Eliza to get home. While her sensors picked up most things rather easily, she did know that there may be very small attacks that she missed.

That was why, once a week, Liela would sit down and watch tapes from high-risk areas all over to see if she did miss anything.

Most of the time, she didn't. It wasn't often that Saturn sent out a force that was so small in size that none of the monitors could pick it up, and when he did, it wasn't even a large enough attack to send the rangers out to deal with.

It was usually just a very small group of Titans that went out and knocked somethings over before being gunned down by the police or sent back to Tartarus with Saturn.

Something like that wasn't something Liela got the rangers to stop what they're doing and deal with, and she was thankful that the monitors didn't pick up such small things like that and get the rangers to it.

She flipped through to the next tape, only watching it idly as she also did other things like check the power on the ranger's morphers and such.

This tape, however, caught her eye.

Looking up from her work, she watched the small group of Titans roam through the city briefly before one of them was hit by an arrow. She watched the rest of the attack, and was shocked when two rangers showed up in the middle of the street after the fight, before running off.

"What the hell?" She whispered to herself, just as she heard the door open and close. "Eliza, come look at this,"

Footsteps approached her. "What if it wasn't me?" Eliza asked, jokingly.

"Shh.. look at this," Liela replayed the tape for her, and her jaw dropped. "Have you seen them before?"

"No, have you?" Eliza responded, turning to her. "I had no idea there were even anymore rangers."

"Me either," Liela told her. "The Gods only gave me five morphers. When Jackie showed up, I didn't know what to think but I figured it was just her. They didn't tell me anything else."

Eliza shook her head. "No, they never do. Those rangers seem like they're on our side, though. I'm not too concerned."

"We should tell..." She was cut off when the alarms blared loudly. "I guess they're gonna find out, then."

\- PRGG -

The rangers arrived to the battle, stopping in front of a ghostly, demon-like figure with blue and black skin and teeth and bones showing boldly. He ripped the flesh off of a civilian nearby with his mouth like a zombie, before turning to them and hissing.

Aiden looked at his teammates. "Ready?"

"Ready," They nodded. "Guardians, Rise Up!"

"Red Guardian!"

"Pink Guardian!"

"Green Guardian!"

"Blue Guardian!"

"Yellow Guardian!"

"White Guardian!"

The group morphed and ran forward.

From nearby, the other two rangers watched their fight. One of the rangers was a female in an emerald green and black suit similar to the other girls, and the other ranger was a male in a black suit that was similar to the other guys.

"What do you think?" The black ranger asked, looking to the emerald ranger.

She watched the battle with calculating eyes. The others were thrown around and even chomped on by the monster, an Eurynomos. It was a tough battle. "Wait." The emerald ranger held a hand up.

He frowned and watched as well, looking at her like she was crazy. "Are you watching the same battle as me? They're getting trampled out there!"

"Hold on," She pulled out her bow and arrow. "Distract him."

The black ranger nodded and put his hands out towards the Eurynomos, making spirits rise up from the ground and shove the demon around. The other rangers were looking around in confusion.

Suddenly, the emerald ranger let go of her arrow and it hit the monster right in the chest, making him explode into dust.

Aiden stood up, along with the others. They stayed morphed, and looked to be on the defensive. "What was that?" He asked, looking at them.

"Us," The two new rangers came out of hiding, revealing themselves to them. "You're lucky we were here."

They exchanged looks, before October stepped forward slightly. "Who are you?"

"You know us," The two demorphed, showing themselves to be Rosie and Grayson to the shocked rangers. "Good to see us?"

* * *

 **Next time on Power Rangers Guardians of the Galaxy:** Rosie and Grayson struggle to deal with the fact that they have to hide their identities from the public, due to their already famous status.

 **Next Chapter Title:** Fame Isn't Easy

 **I know this one went by fast, but there are the new rangers! I already announced above about the poll, but please go check it out! It would mean a lot to me!**

 **Anyways, here are the upcoming five chapters!**

 **Ep 26: Is Love Real? -** All focused chapter.

 **Ep 27: Jealousy Is Not A Virtue -** Aiden focused chapter.

 **Ep 28: Just One Shot Part I -** Grayson focused chapter.

 **Ep 29: Just One Shot Part II -** Grayson focused chapter.

 **Ep 30: Sunny Day -** Jackie focused chapter.

 **I hope you guys liked this chapter, and I'll be back with the next one soon!**

 **© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley**


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